


tickle the painted pear

by djjdkim



Category: EXO (Band), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Wizards, Fluff, Hogwarts, M/M, Magic, Mutual Pining, Mystery, Pining, Romance, other sm artists as other students, side characters jongin junmyeon yixing, slight angst, suju as side characters and other students
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-02-27 03:26:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 96,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18730762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/djjdkim/pseuds/djjdkim
Summary: Jongdae and Chanyeol may as well be obsessed by this point-- but they don't realise that playing pranks on someone isn't quite the way to get their attention.And Sehun was only supposed to catch the golden snitch-- he never meant to snag a boy’s heart as well.But amongst this myriad of boy problems lies the monstrous new secret hidden away in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the boys have to figure out how to juggle boyfriends and adventures all at once.





	1. lumos (light me up)

**Author's Note:**

> Please note: character ages are not meant to correspond with their Hogwarts school year. So please assume all the characters are of mature age, regardless of Hogwarts year. 
> 
> Also: This story is not set within the actual timeline of the Harry Potter novels, meaning that there will be no appearances of Harry Potter characters. This includes professors-- no names of any professors are mentioned, you are free to imagine them as the professors in Harry Potter, but that is up to you.
> 
> New chapters will be posted every Monday and Thursday every week! Follow me on twitter @djjdkim for more content related to this story, and to be up to date with when I post chapters!
> 
> (PLEASE ENJOY! I PUT MY ENTIRE BODY AND SOUL INTO THIS!!! i hope you like it!)

Broomstick after broomstick whoosh through the air, red capes and green robes fluttering in the gusts of wind as the players slow down into a spiral descend towards the grass on the pitch.

Red and gold, green and silver-- the players line back up, clutching their broomsticks with one hand, standing face to face and chest to chest with their equivalent player on the opposing team. The two boys at the very end stand particularly close. Black hair flying in every direction belonging to the boy donned in red intercepted with gold; blonde hair still somehow sitting perfectly atop the head of the boy in green robes, silver details reflective under the warm autumn sun.

They walk forwards until they’re peering close at each other, head to head, glaring at each other with undisguised rivalry.

A boy with binoculars sitting in the stands watching frowns, squinting through the lens. “What in the world are they doing?”

The boy sitting next to him dressed in the same robes in the colour of the reddening autumn leaves with the same gleaming black hair snorts rather unattractively. He is considerably smaller than his friend with the binoculars, who is both greater in height and remarkably more bulky, which his long, red robes do a poor job of hiding. The taller boy, who is still peering at the two rival players on the pitch in complete utter confusion, has his glossy black hair swept cleanly out of his face, exposing a pair of ears that stick out from his head on a peculiar angle. “Being stupid, that’s what.”

As if on cue, both boys on the pitch suddenly break out into loud giggles and guffaws, reaching over to clasp hands and pull each other into tight hugs. The other players on the field look on, amused smiles on their faces as they begin to disperse, leaving the pitch as the Quidditch trials come to an end.

As the two boys, one in red and one in green and quite equal in height, break apart just to link arms and head towards the spectator stands, their tall friend rises from his seat, lowering the binoculars from his big, round eyes.

“Jongin!” he bellows, low, rough voice booming out, and his other three friends, all donned in similar robes and red scarves for the fall weather, immediately let their hands fly to their ears in an attempt to spare their hearing. “Sehun! Over here!”

All four boys that had been sitting on the stands all rise to their feet from their seats, waiting for the two players to reach them, before erupting in cheers.

“Yeah, Jongin!” a brunette with wavy, silky hair falling over his forehead grins wide, reaching over to pull the Gryffindor flyer in a quick hug from the side, eyes disappearing with the eruption of his smile. “Welcome to the team, Mister New Seeker!”

Jongin, the boy with the wild black hair that seems to have a mind of its own and the long cascading red cape, giggles in the other boy’s embrace. “Thanks, Baekhyun,” he smiles warmly, only to be given an eye roll from another boy.

“Looks like you'll be mum’s favourite this month,” Jongdae huffs, only for Jongin to tackle him. And only then does Jongdae let his usual cheeky wide grin break out over his face, patting his brother on the back (with perhaps a little more force than necessary). Jongdae even has the exact same hair as Jongin, black strands that sit messily atop his head, some falling haphazardly over his forehead. It runs in the family, as does spectacular talent in magic does, too. “But really, good job making the team. And as Seeker, too.”

“Prodigy Seeker we've got here,” the tallest boy with a smile so wide it seems to catch all the rays of the sun joins in, and reaches forwards with a fist extended for a bump from Jongin’s gloved fist-- a gesture he was more than happy to teach his wizard friends. “Slytherin better watch out,” he adds, throwing the green-robed blonde next to Jongin a wink.

“We’ve been looking forwards to pretending to be enemies on the Quidditch pitch since first year,” Jongin laughs, pulling the other boy in by an arm looped around his friend’s neck. “Besides, I wouldn't underestimate Sehun if I were you! Passed with flying colours on his first try!”

The two best friends glance at each other, sharing similar looks of raised eyebrows and mischievous smiles that reveal their equal passion for Quidditch that had glued them together since they first met last year. Inseparable since meeting on their very first trip on the Hogwarts Express, Jongin had approached the quiet blonde sitting perfectly straight upright alone in a cabin, flashing sunny grins and introducing himself and his brother in the blink of an eye.

Jongin had met Jongdae’s friends before, when Chanyeol and Baekhyun visited their house over summer break to hang out. It was Chanyeol and Baekhyun, too, who had let Jongin borrow their brooms and taught him to fly.

The ten year old had only owned big collections of Quidditch books, but had never tried it for himself before. His big brother doesn’t even own a broom, despite loving the game just as much as Jongin does.

But meeting Sehun, watching the quiet blonde’s eyes light up immediately once they got started talking about Quidditch, it all outweighed being sorted into different houses.

A year later, with the graduation of the seekers from Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch teams, Jongin and Sehun agreed to attempt the Quidditch trials together at the start of the new school year, both now second years while Jongdae and his friends have entered fourth year.

And miraculously, the two of them entered the trials together-- Sehun with his old hand-me-down Firebolt that belonged to his older brother who also played Quidditch when he attended Hogwarts, while Jongin had to borrow a broom from the school-- and passed the trials together too, both the new star seekers of their respective teams.

When Sehun finally speaks, he does so with a shy little tight-lipped grin, pulling his eyes into dainty little crescents. “So you never know,” he chuckles, voice soft and quiet, starkly contrasting to the booming yells from the Gryffindor fourth years. His thin, prettily smiling eyes sweep across the Gryffindors, landing on the Quidditch players amongst them. “Maybe Gryffindor should watch out.”

The older boys are set off into a round of good-natured laughs at this, laughs that are vastly different from the way they chortle everytime an unsuspecting student (or even better, teacher) walks into their set-up pranks around the school. Their laughter is as light-hearted as Sehun’s words are, and despite their rowdiness, they quieten just for Sehun to speak, ever since being introduced to the soft-spoken Slytherin last year. Baekhyun and Chanyeol had immediately taken to the adorable shyness of the boy, while Jongdae can’t get enough of his scathing sarcasm-- though it is the last fourth year Gryffindor of Jongdae’s group that still acts as though a stranger.

Amongst this, the shortest Gryffindor watches the exchanges happen between all his friends without a single word, with only a slight smile-- until he reaches forwards to pat Jongin on the back.

“Congrats, Jongin,” he says, everyone else quieting down immediately so that his low, deep voice could be heard. His round, dark brown eyes flicker over to Sehun, blinking slowly at him through his thick-rimmed glasses, and he turns his small smile towards him.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t met Sehun yet?” Chanyeol pipes up in the sudden silence, rapidly looking back and forth between the Slytherin and his short friend.

“We’ve met,” the small boy hums in his usual quiet rumbling tones. “Last year. But we never properly introduced ourselves.”

Baekhyun makes a noise of disbelief. “You never introduced yourselves through an entire year?”

Ignoring him completely, the Gryffindor turns to the younger Slytherin, who is actually frustratingly towering over him already. “Nice to meet you, Oh Sehun,” he smiles, warm and inviting, and definitely notices Sehun’s rapid succession of blinking at that. “I’m Doh Kyungsoo.”

“Yeah,” Sehun manages to force out, belatedly realising he should probably reach out to grasp Kyungsoo’s outstretched hand. “I-- I know.”

Kyungsoo only chuckles, and the tips of Sehun’s ears glow a gentle pink against his bright blonde hair at Kyungsoo’s apparent amusement before quickly glancing away in his embarrassment.

“Right,” Chanyeol says loudly, slinging a long, thick arm over Jongin’s shoulders. “Wait does this mean now that Sehun’s on the Quidditch team, Slytherin’s going to know all of our tactics?”

With a little giggle, Sehun follows along behind them as Chanyeol bounces out of the stands with Jongin in tow. “That’s why I said Gryffindor should watch out.”

While Jongdae is right on their heels, arguing about the superiority of his house when it comes to Quidditch, Kyungsoo falls behind to the tail of the group, feeling absolutely no need to take part in their conversation that swings towards Quidditch yet again. Despite all his friends and even Jongin either playing for Gryffindor or being just as passionate for Quidditch, as Jongdae is, Kyungsoo can’t help but tune them out everytime.

Baekhyun joins him as he shakes his end, incessantly muttering that he “can’t believe they never greeted each other all year long”. Kyungsoo doesn’t respond, as he often doesn’t with those friends of his-- though his wide eyes do find the back of the blonde boy’s head again from behind, watching as the two second years laugh together as they walk.

  
  


It’s when Sehun follows Jongin and their friends to the Gryffindor common room one night that he sees Kyungsoo again.

Though it hasn't been long since the Quidditch trials last time, Kyungsoo doesn't tend to hang out with the group all the time, preferring to stay in the Gryffindor dormitories or curl up on the squishy couches in the common room with a thick blanket by the fire.

“Who even knows what he does cooped up in there all the time,” Baekhyun had scoffed when Sehun mindlessly asked about Kyungsoo.

“He doesn't even study,” Chanyeol complains. “Or I'd be able to copy his homework more often. But most of the time he doesn't do homework either.”

“He's probably just playing wizard chess and eating whole bags of Every Flavour Beans again,” Jongdae had added as they reach the seventh floor corridor, rounding the corner with Sehun in tow to reach the portrait of the Fat Lady that guards the entrance of Gryffindor Tower.

Though the seventh floor is quite literally on completely opposite ends of Hogwarts to where Sehun needs to go, down in the dungeons where the Slytherin common room is hidden, they had agreed to meet up in the North Wing on the 7th floor, where they can talk while completing their homework and eat all of Chanyeol’s snacks as they study with no fussy librarian breathing down their necks.

Which means no curfew either-- the students were able to stay in the study hall for longer than they normally would have been able to in the Hogwarts library, until the sky outside the large floor-to-ceiling windows fully darkened to black and all the flaming torches along the seventh floor corridor sprung to life. The North Wing serves as the perfect study hall, with its hundreds of bookshelves lined up along the walls and warm lamps dotting the wooden tables. So of course, Sehun came along when he ran into Jongin who said he was going to meet up with his brother-- and only upon arriving does Sehun realise that one Gryffindor is missing from their group.

But just as they exit the North Wing from the door right next to the portrait of the Fat Lady, the portrait swings open, revealing a Gryffindor boy with short hair shaved on the sides and glasses clambering out of the portrait hole.

“Oh, Kyungsoo!” Chanyeol calls out, and the rest of the group of friends stop, blinking dumbfoundedly as Kyungsoo straightens up, holding the portrait up for them. “Where are you going at this time?”

The shorter Gryffindor boy doesn’t respond, only flashing a look of annoyance at the group. “Are you getting in or not?” he snaps, the boys hurrying towards him to climb through the portrait hole.

The portrait swings shut behind Chanyeol, Baekhyun, Jongdae and Jongin, leaving Sehun standing in the middle of the corridor. The flickering flames of the torch over his head lights up his blonde hair in shifting patterns, and Kyungsoo’s eyes dart towards him.

Sehun jolts, turning his head in a poor attempt to pretend he had not in fact been looking at the other boy, acting as though he had only just noticed Kyungsoo was there. It’s not the most convincing act, but Kyungsoo pauses for a moment before he nods his head briefly in acknowledgement of Sehun’s presence. 

That’s all Sehun gets before Kyungsoo is briskly striding off down the corridor. The Slytherin pauses, waiting for the other boy to round the corner and disappear out of sight.

With another glance at the golden watch on his wrist, Sehun hurries towards the staircase descending from the seventh floor. He spares Kyungsoo some thought, wondering like Chanyeol voiced where in the world the boy was going this late into the night, before shaking his head. What Kyungsoo is doing is certainly not Sehun’s business, and his primary concern should be the high risk of landing himself in detention with the Hogwarts caretaker if he doesn’t get himself down to the dungeons. He waits at the top for the staircase to swing towards him, knowing that it should be shifting around to now stretch from the seventh floor down to the fourth floor, where he must wait again for another staircase to move, connecting with the first so that it would lead him down another few floors to the ground floor. 

As soon as the marble steps are within stepping distance from Sehun’s position on the edge of the corridor, he jumps onto the staircase, hurrying down the steps.

A Slytherin this far away from bed at this time would be quite difficult to explain, and though travelling via the moving staircases in the middle of the castle is not exactly hidden, it would be the fastest means of getting down through all seven floors of the Hogwarts building. He can risk a bit of exposure if it means he can get to the Slytherin common room faster.

But just as Sehun jumps off the second set of staircases, knowing better than anyone else to hop over the fake last step that joins onto the ground floor corridor since he had stepped right through it and fallen flat on his face in first year, he pauses, freezing in his spot.

He spies a familiar flash of red robes, a familiar slouched back, familiar short black hair before the boy turns a corner into the shadows.

Doh Kyungsoo?

Sehun frowns. How did Kyungsoo manage to get all the way down here just as quickly as Sehun? He had assumed the moving staircases right through the middle of Hogwarts would be the fastest-- Kyungsoo must know a secret route that is just as fast.

Upon second thought, Sehun’s thin, angled brows furrow together further in confusion. What is Doh Kyungsoo doing down here?

He weighs his options-- but it isn’t difficult to make up his mind. His curiosity regarding Doh Kyungsoo is far too great.

With a quick glance around the corridor, Sehun inches towards the corner that he had last seen Kyungsoo, a corner of the ground floor away from the Transfiguration classrooms and shadowed with no torches on the walls.

Heart thudding in his chest and unease settling in his veins, Sehun peers around the corner-- and watches as Kyungsoo, at the very end of the corridor that stretches out in front of him, stops beside a painting of what seems to be a fruit bowl.

The confusion lies much heavier now in the front of Sehun’s mind, watching, holding his breath, as the Gryffindor boy raises a hand and.... tickles the pear in the fruit bowl painting?

Yes he must have, because Sehun can clearly see the painted pear shake in soundless giggles, rolling around in the frame of the painting before the whole thing swings forward, revealing a little wooden door. And without further ado, Kyungsoo turns the knob, bending down to fit through the doorway, and shuffles in, the wooden door closing behind him.

A secret door? What is Doh Kyungsoo doing snooping around the castle finding secret doors this late at night? Another glance at his watch-- it's close to 11 o’clock already, and certainly past the curfew for the students in younger years. With a last confused glance at the picture of the fruit bowl that Kyungsoo had disappeared behind, Sehun slips away from the corner, hastening along the ground floor corridor to the less grand set of stairs that lead down to the dungeons.

Here, the golden light of the torches that had lined all the other floors turn a bright emerald green. Perhaps ominous to anyone else, but this is home to Sehun.

With another glance over his shoulder, the boy runs down the dark hallway as it slopes further and further down, his footsteps muffled by the black carpet underfoot-- everything starkly different to the red floors and golden lamps of the seventh floor, the home of the Gryffindors. But here, Sehun knows he is descending down this corridor to below the Great Lake, here what little light they have is the colour of potions and walls are shrouded in shadows.

That prompts Sehun’s subconscious to bring up the thoughts of a certain Gryffindor sneaking around in the middle of the night again, and he could nearly feel the bubbling of his curiosity before he swallows it back down his throat. Rounding a corner and facing the secret entrance of the Slytherin common room, he pauses to catch his breath, thanking all the stars that would be visible at this hour from the Astronomy Tower that he didn’t run right into the Slytherin prefects.

With a quiet whisper of “mint slice”, the great stone entrance swings forward, and the boy quickly stumbles through, forgetting cleanly about any and all Gryffindors and focusing just on diving into bed.

 

“Jongdae,” Sehun pipes up, the older boy pausing in his munching of chocolate frogs to hum at him in response.

Upon exiting the Great Hall, Sehun was unceremoniously ambushed by two of his older Gryffindor friends, Jongdae and Chanyeol each wrapping their arms around his broad green-clad shoulders, donning identical grins on their faces. Ever since first year they had claimed Sehun, insisting that being friends with Jongin means that they are automatically his friends too. (“Besides, you're way cooler than Jongin,” Jongdae had laughed.)

They had dragged him up the stairs and into the Entrance Hall, where Jongdae had explained that they’re hanging out for a study session as he pulled Sehun up the Grand Staircase, and added that “Jongin isn’t invited” with a wink.

And thus Sehun finds himself in an armchair in the study area on the fourth floor sitting opposite Jongdae and Chanyeol, who’s leaning his head of silky black hair on his shorter friend’s shoulder as they each read their textbooks. As they dragged Sehun into the room, he had found Baekhyun and Kyungsoo at another table, the brunette sucking on a sugar quill as he works on his long charms essay. Settling at the table adjacent to them with Jongdae and Chanyeol, Sehun had felt eyes on the side of his face and turned, only to be startled at big eyes peering at him, and a gentle tight-lipped smile flashed his way.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo mumbles in that quiet, low voice he always seems to use, round, searching eyes glued to Sehun’s face. The intensity of his gaze isn’t hindered at all by his big square glasses, the black frames framing his face perfectly and adding to the intimidation factor that his heavy eyebrows already have. And so of course the shy Slytherin boy only gives him a quick nod before quickly turning back to his own table, completely missing the furrowing of Kyungsoo’s thick eyebrows.

But that doesn’t stop Sehun from letting his eyes stray all throughout their study session, wandering from the transfiguration book open in front of him to the wall he’s facing, to the carpet, before landing over at the short-haired Gryffindor again.

His glances don’t last long though, always just fleeting little looks before Sehun attempts to pinch himself and focus his eyes back on his homework, to no avail.

A closer look yet again and Sehun realises that while Kyungsoo is scribbling on a long stretch of parchment that probably should be his own charms essay, it looks more like the parchment is dotted here and there with random little inky doodles instead.

And Sehun’s suspicions are confirmed, as the moment Baekhyun leans back in his seat with a long sigh of relief escaping him, Kyungsoo straightens up to pull a fresh piece of parchment out of his bag, snagging Baekhyun’s freshly completed essay from in front of him as he quickly begins to copy it. The brunette Gryffindor barely complains, only letting out a sigh and shake of his head before resuming his sucking on his quill.

“What is it, Sehunnie?”

Sehun’s attention snaps back to Jongdae, who is still buried nose-deep in his divination reading. “You know all the secret passageways through Hogwarts, don’t you?”

Chanyeol had straightened up from that neck-breaking position he was in with his head on Jongdae’s shoulder, groaning as he rubs the junction between his neck and shoulders. He puts down his Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them textbook, quickly grabbing his notebook that sits with his quill and ink on the table in front of them.

He flips his leather-bound notebook open to a fresh page, beginning to dutifully sketch some new creature from the textbook that he doesn’t already have notes on.

“Well,” Jongdae frowns in thought, eyebrows sloping upwards towards his hair line in that curious way they do. He puts his reading down, clearly loving having any excuse to neglect divination. “I like to think that I do, but in all honesty there’s definitely a great majority that Chanyeol and I haven’t discovered yet. Like the Chamber of Secrets,” he sighs, and Chanyeol looks up at that.

“We definitely need to work on that one,” the taller boy agrees.

Jongdae nods, before looking over at what Chanyeol is still sketching and both eyebrows go shooting up his forehead. “What even is that??”

“An Augurey!” Chanyeol exclaims. He ignores Jongdae’s quieter mutter of “a  _ what _ ??”, hurtling on as he points happily to his sketch. From across the table, Sehun can’t make out much of it except for ink blobs and random lines flying all over the page, and with the way Jongdae squints at the drawing, Sehun guesses that it doesn’t make a difference whether you see it upside down or not. “You know, like an Irish Phoenix, it sings when it’s about to rain.”

“Are you sure that isn’t like… a malnourished chicken?” Jongdae cocks a eyebrow, only for Chanyeol to wave him off dismissively.

“That’s what it’s supposed to look like,” the tall Gryffindor insists. “Thin and pretty sad-looking.”

While Jongdae seizes Chanyeol’s little leather notebook, remarking under his breath about how neat his Care of Magical Creatures notes are, he reads out some lines of information on the Augurey, “native to Great Britain and Ireland”, “the myth that the cry of the Augurey signalled impending death was dispelled in 1824”, “feathers repel ink, and they live in a tear-shaped nest in thorn and brambles-- I’d be pretty miserable if I lived in thorns as well”. Chanyeol looks endlessly pleased at the amount of detail he goes into for each and every animal in his little notebook, and Jongdae remarks the same as he gives it back to his friend.

“Do you sketch every creature?” Sehun asks, and Chanyeol nods enthusiastically, flipping the pages as he holds up the book for Sehun to see.

Unicorns, dragons, dragons, dragons, nifflers, occamys-- Sehun’s eye catches on a blank page with only text and no sketch as Chanyeol flips to it.

“No drawing for acromantulas?” he asks, only for Jongdae to snigger and Chanyeol to vehemently shake his head, pulling the book back to sit in his lap once more.

“No way,” he says shuddering. “I hate spiders.”

“Spiders must be his worst fear or something,” Jongdae chortles, glancing back at Chanyeol who quickly flips past the pages on acromantulas and back to his unfinished notes on Augureys. “But he still took his time to write all those notes on them, even though he jumped about fifty feet into the air when he saw a tiny spider on a shelf behind me when we were in the broom closet--” 

He quickly breaks off his train of thought, Chanyeol whipping his face around to turn huge, rounded eyes on him. They stare at each other, glancing at Sehun in a moment of stunned silence, before Jongdae quickly shakes his head, laughing quickly.

Sehun frowns the slightest. What in the world would they have been doing in the broom closet, of all places?

“Nevermind that,” Jongdae breezes on cooly. “Why were you asking about secret passageways, Sehun? Found one?” he leans forwards in his seat, almond shaped brown eyes glinting with the sudden onslaught of mischief as his lips curve upwards, raising his brows with a lilting grin at Sehun.

It reminds Sehun of his question he wanted to ask them in the first place. A quick glance between the two Gryffindors opposite him, Sehun shrugs as casually as possible. What is with these fourth year Gryffindors? First Doh Kyungsoo sneaking off at midnight, now Jongdae and Chanyeol getting themselves in broom closets. How many of them are keeping weird secrets?

He could only hope that his best friend Jongin isn’t keeping anything this weird from him. Baekhyun seems to be the only Gryffindor Sehun can trust.

“No particular reason. I came across a corridor on the ground floor,” he starts slowly, watching as Jongdae blinks long eyelashes at him, eyes wide in curiosity. “There’s nothing but a painting of a fruit bowl at the end of it-- do you know that one?”

Before Sehun could even finish his sentence, Jongdae’s nodding, leaning back into the couch he shares with Chanyeol and into the taller student’s arms that automatically wrap around Jongdae’s smaller shoulders. “That’s just the kitchens,” he says, grinning in that lazy, easy way he always does, simple lifts of the corners of his lips. “We found it in our first year.”

Sehun frowns. “The kitchens?”

“Yeah, where a whole army of house elves cook up our meals. That’s where all the food comes from when it magically appears on our plates. There’s a pear in the painting of the fruit bowl,” Jongdae continues, and Sehun’s breath catches the slightest in his throat, mind flashing back to the way Kyungsoo had reached up to the painting… “You tickle the pear if you want to go in.”

Sehun mindlessly nods-- mindless, because of the way his thoughts have flown right back to the night before. Jongdae peers at him curiously.

“Is something wrong, Sehunnie?”

“No, nothing,” he responds, before risking a small glance towards the other table-- only to find that only a Byun Baekhyun is sitting there. “Where did Kyungsoo go?”

Baekhyun looks up, shrugging. “Left after finishing copying my homework.” his sugar quill is basically gone by this point, and he smacks his lips, standing up from his armchair, stretching and letting his long robes pull up as he yawns. “Oi Jongdae, want my charms essay?”

The Gryffindors sitting opposite Sehun immediately rise to their feet, Jongdae reaching out to grab the parchment Baekhyun holds out to him with a victorious little wiggle of his behind. He turns to flash a sunny grin far too bright for the time back at Sehun. “It’s getting late, so we’ll be going as well. See you next time, Sehunnie!”

With a chorus of bye’s and waves, Chanyeol immediately latching onto Jongdae’s arm, the three of them slip away behind one of the tall ceiling high bookshelves that hides a secret passageway to the seventh floor behind it, leaving Sehun to glance around, then up at the giant clock on the brick wall of the study room.

It’s hands are gold, though there are no numbers. In fact, the clock only shows how much time there is before the next class, the clock face only reading classes one to four, as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner. But it still tells Sehun that it is definitely too long past dinner for students to wander around in the school, even if Kyungsoo is just going to the kitchens.

But is he? Sehun quickly packs up his things, swinging his bag over a shoulder as he hurriedly heads in the opposite direction of the bookshelf the Gryffindors snuck behind to get to Gryffindor tower. Sehun instead steps behind a tapestry at the back of the other end of the study room, that Chanyeol had pointed out to him. The tapestry flutters shut behind him, leaving Sehun in a low little tunnel of sorts.

Fishing out his wand from the pocket of his trousers with a quiet murmur of “ _ lumos _ ”, the tunnel lights up, Sehun quickening his steps down it.

He notices it sloping down underfoot, thinking of how the older boys promised that it would lead him from the fourth floor down to the ground floor, where he could just hop down the staircase that leads down to the dungeons-- and indeed, Sehun notices as he emerges from behind yet another tapestry, that he is exactly where he wanted to be.

Because the tapestry at the end of the tunnel he just climbed out of just happens to be right at the corner of the corridor that he now knows leads to the kitchens.

“Put that light out, would you?” comes a voice from just above Sehun’s head, and the poor boy jumps, clutching his wand.

Only when he swings it towards the wall that he finds the portrait of a rotund man with a thick, bushy beard holding up his hand against the light from Sehun’s wand, peering through his fingers at Sehun with a look of undisguised annoyance.

“Sorry,” the boy quickly whispers. Not that he needs the light anymore, with the torches lining the walls. With a hushed mumble  _ ‘nox’ _ , the wand slips back in his pocket as he strides down the corridor and towards that painting. 

And in all honesty, he feels a little bit silly. Even though he had seen Kyungsoo himself do it, and confirmed by the Ace Prankster Kim Jongdae himself, Sehun still glances around, fiddling with his fingers, before reaching a hand out, and stroking the pear in the fruit bowl painting.

And apparently it just doesn’t work unless you tickle it, because once Sehun does, the painted fruit starts to writhe, shaking again in soundless giggles-- and then the painting swings forward.

Sehun jumps back, immediately withdrawing his hand as he watches with wide eyes and holding his breath as the little wooden door behind the painting is revealed.

And in a sudden stroke of bravery, or more likely curiosity, Sehun grabs the little handle and turns it, clambering through the doorway.

If Kyungsoo had to stoop over to shuffle through, Sehun must nearly crouch to the floor to get his much larger frame through the doorway that most certainly wouldn’t be for humans.

Suddenly the door quietly shuts behind him, and Sehun freezes, just making out the sound of the painting swinging back into place in front of it, and he takes a deep breath, slowly squeezing his way inside.

And once he does, the ceiling rises up enough for him to stand again, and he immediately ducks into what must be a little side storage room, shadowed and filled with cardboard boxes. He squeezes his broad shoulders and long legs between some boxes, peeking around the corner into the kitchen, and gasps.

Screaming pots and kettles, sizzling pans and stoves, clanging of plates and cutlery, rumbling of great big ovens that dwarf Sehun’s entire body, thousands of hurried little footsteps of house elves scurrying back and forth through the entire place… and a Gryffindor boy, amongst it all.

The sheer noise of the large kitchens is certainly enough to drown out Sehun’s little gasp of astonishment as well as his second one once his eyes land on Doh Kyungsoo. And he’s thankful for the cacophony of sounds, because whatever the short-haired boy is cooking up in the pot that sits obediently in front of him smells so delightful that Sehun’s pretty sure his stomach rumbled a little.

Sehun watches silently, head peeking out from around the corner, as Kyungsoo is handed a silver ladle by a house elf perched on a tall chair next to him, and the boy reaches with it down into the pot. He brings what looks like a golden brown stew to his lips-- and Sehun gets to witness the bright blossoming of an absolutely delighted smile light up his entire face.

Never in the few times he’s seen Kyungsoo has he ever smiled like that. Then again, while Sehun doesn’t know if the boy smiles more freely when he’s with his friends, this big, bright, unrestrained smile stretched from ear to ear is so different to the tiny little tight-lipped grins that he normally wears on his face that Sehun can’t quite comprehend it.

Sehun just watches in silent awe and confusion, honestly, as Kyungsoo chatters happily to the elves as he extinguishes the fire beneath the pot with a quick wave of his wand.

Shy, quiet, serious Gryffindor fourth year who looks like he never has time for anyone’s waffling, smiling the happiest and brightest while cooking in the kitchens at midnight with some house elves?

  
  


The crying of the large ovens catch his attention, Kyungsoo’s head snapping around with his eyes wide, and silences it as he runs over to pull the great big doors down.

Another night finds Sehun yet again down in the kitchens, but only because he thought Kyungsoo might be-- and upon stepping in, watching as Kyungsoo flicks his wand here and there, learning how to magically cook from the house elves, Sehun’s suspicions were confirmed. It does seem that the Gryffindor boy visits the kitchens nearly every night, and almost always brings back some of the food he makes in little boxes to save for himself to snack on the next day. But he never forgets to leave the majority of his cooking to the elves, telling them that they should eat it, they’ve worked hard. By the time Kyungsoo begins graciously thanking his little helpers for all their tips and guidance, Sehun would be slipping out of the fruit bowl painting first, not particularly fancying running into Doh Kyungsoo.

The smell of baked goods flood the entire kitchens, and Sehun finds himself getting increasingly hungrier the longer he stays and watches. Kyungsoo’s being handed tiny little pink oven mitts, which enlarge with a ‘pop’ at the tap of his wand, and he’s eagerly pulling the tray out of the oven, round eyes wide and shiny with excitement and giggling slightly when the steam from inside the oven fogs up his glasses.

A large cake is brandished in Kyungsoo’s hands, and though naked with no icing or frosting, the way it’s steaming fresh from the oven and the even, golden colour is enough for Sehun to quietly swallow as it’s set down on the bench top. 

Kyungsoo has a sort of knack for this, for cooking, or so Sehun’s found. So far everything he’s created has looked, smelled, and tasted (going by the expression on Kyungsoo’s face and the exclaims of the house elves) magnificent, and Sehun would be lying if he said he wasn’t dying to try it all.

The Gryffindor himself seems to enjoy sweets in particular, often telling the house elves to package up little pastries and cupcakes so that he could snack on them between classes and while he completes his homework. Even now, as the elves bustle about the boy asking him eager questions of how he wants to decorate the cake, Kyungsoo pauses to consider, before deciding on “milk chocolate ganashe frosting and cream cheese”.

Kyungsoo grins happily at his choice, setting the huge cake aside on the equally large cooling racks to cool as the elves move the frosting in front of him.

“Because I like chocolate things the best,” he responds to a curious house elf, and Sehun pricks up in his piqued interest.

He does see Kyungsoo munching on chocolate frogs in the study halls, but he had never imagined that the Gryffindor boy who seems so distant and unapproachable would share something with Sehun, even if this something is just their love for chocolate. It makes a little thrum of warmth spread down Sehun’s spine, makes his thin lips tweak up a little in pleasant surprise as he watches Kyungsoo stick a finger in the chocolate before sucking on it, humming happily.

It’s like the kitchen is his happy place. Sehun knows Kyungsoo is best friends with the other rowdy boys from Gryffindor, Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Jongdae. Sehun also knows that Kyungsoo never seems to be interested in the things the three are plotting between them, and yet somehow always finds himself in the midst of the action as well in one way or another. But it’s like Kyungsoo is a different person in the kitchens-- he smiles, he giggles in delight at the things the elves say, he laughs with no restraint in his deep voice, he hums in approval at the taste of his food, and he doesn’t seem to have a single moment of irritation or boredom.

The boy in question sits on a stool, waiting for the cake to fully cool before he could begin with the decoration, and his thick eyebrows suddenly scrunch in a moment of thoughtfulness.

“Tell me,” Kyungsoo suddenly leans forward, propping his chin up on his hands as he peers at the elves. “Am I ugly?”

Sehun quite nearly snorts out loud from his hiding spot at the entrance of the kitchens just behind his usual tower of cardboard boxes. From the scent wafting out of them, the boxes seem to contain a great assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables. He's never heard such a ridiculous thing. Doh Kyungsoo, ugly?

Sehun shakes his head in disbelief. Kyungsoo may very well be one of the handsomest boys Sehun has ever laid his eyes on. That may not be the case for every person, but Kyungsoo’s big round eyes, tiny button nose, thick plump lips, askew hairs from his bushy eyebrows-- every single feature forms the image of a mature boy, a boy far too mature for his age, yet somehow still retaining the radiant child-like purity in the way his lips stretch when he smiles and the way his cheeks glow as they bunch up.

“We don't thinks young master Doh unattractive at all,” comes the high warbling of a house elf, and Sehun nearly misses Kyungsoo’s next words.

“Why does he look away every time I see him then?”

That catches Sehun’s attention. He glances around the corner again, finding Kyungsoo looking at the elves with an expression of genuine confusion, as though he has been attempting to solve this question for the longest time. Kyungsoo sighs when the elves shrug unhelpfully, gazing at his cake.

“No matter,” he quickly says, as though shaking himself out of his own daydream. “Boys can wait-- chocolate cake won’t wait for anyone, though!”

And like that, he pulls the cake towards him, and the elves hop up onto tall stools to help coat the sponge in a thick delicious layer of chocolate frosting, Kyungsoo’s little moment thrown into the backs of everyone’s minds-- except for Sehun’s.

Sehun slips silently out of the kitchens, still running Kyungsoo’s words through his mind. Boys?

With an amused grin, Sehun heads quickly down to the dungeons.

Interesting. 

  
  


Sehun was happy to hide behind his vegetable boxes and silently observe Doh Kyungsoo. He enjoyed it, enjoyed learning little insignificant details about this interesting Gryffindor boy. He prefers just watching, actually, secretly watching.

“Do Young Mister wants something to eat?”

This is not secret nor silent.

Sehun’s entire long-legged body jumps, knocking straight into the stacks of cardboard boxes stacked up in columns all around him with a humiliating crash. The house elf standing before him winces, quickly moving to help him up.

“Is Young Mister alright?” the elf quickly says as Sehun stands again, snapping his fingers for the boxes to all straighten and right themselves into their original places after Sehun’s little mishap. He turns to Sehun, the Slytherin desperately gesturing with his finger over his lips to shut it, but continues babbling on anyway. “Young Mister musts be hungry. We mades some cakes!”

“No, no, no, no,” Sehun hisses between his teeth, but the elf already grabbed hold of the end of Sehun’s green robes, tugging him out of his hiding spot and into the kitchen with surprising strength for such a small figure.

And straightaway, Sehun glances up, only to meet Kyungsoo’s eyes head-on.

Kyungsoo blinks wide eyes at him, brown gaze fixated on Sehun’s face, thick eyebrows rising on his forehead. He swallows, and Sehun’s eyes drop, following the motion of his adams apple. 

“Oh Sehun,” the boy says eventually. “What-- what are you doing here?”

Sehun opens his mouth to blurt out an excuse, any excuse, but a high-pitched voice beats him to it.

“I founds this Young Mister watching from the store room, Young Master,” the house elf piques up to Kyungsoo, though the Gryffindor’s eyes stay resolutely on Sehun’s face. “He looked so very intrigued, I thoughts he musts be hungry!”

Sehun flushes, cheeks growing pinker with Kyungsoo’s unbroken staring. “I-I wasn’t spying,” he tries. “I was definitely not spying on you.”

When he glances back to Kyungsoo, the boy is grinning at him with his face lowered, peering at Sehun from under his eyelashes, under the black frames of his glasses. He chuckles, and Sehun is hit in the face with a sense that Kyungsoo absolutely did not buy his little lie at all. 

And finally, with a little jerk of his head, Kyungsoo sits back down on his tall stool at the table, beckoning Sehun over. “Care for a doughnut?” he smiles, shyly, hopefully, holding out the sweet towards Sehun who shuffles closer.

He stops in front of the table, hesitating before taking a seat on the tall stool opposite Kyungsoo’s, and flashes the other boy a confused glance.

“Here, have one,” Kyungsoo chuckles, again, grabbing a plate beside him to slide a doughnut across the table to the Slytherin. “Of course you purebloods wouldn’t have heard of it.”

Sehun looks up, looks nervously at Kyungsoo. He’d never thought he’d be anxious over being a pureblood-- but Kyungsoo only laughs lightly.

“It’s a muggle treat,” he explains. “I made them myself.”

Sehun wants to say _ I know, I watched you make it _ , but stuffs his mouth with doughnut in an effort to keep himself quiet. To his delight, the icing is chocolate and hazelnut, and he makes a noise of appreciation through his chewing. Kyungsoo grins at that, positively glowing.

“They’re Baekhyun’s favourite sweet,” he continues, watching Sehun eat with a warm smile on his face and a satisfied look in his eyes. Sehun doesn’t remember Kyungsoo ever being quite this talkative. Perhaps it’s the effect of being in his happy place that opens his mouth into smiles and chatter. “He’s the biggest sweet tooth I know. His favourite sweets from Honeydukes are sugar quills, but his heart belongs to muggle doughnuts.”

Without a pause, he grabs another doughnut, this time one with golden icing and sparkly little sprinkles dusted all over it and drops it on Sehun’s plate.

Sehun doesn't even get the chance to resist, peering curiously up at Kyungsoo. “So then…. are you and Baekhyun muggle born…?” he asks hesitantly, carefully, knowing for sure that Slytherins don't have the best reputation when it comes to the topic of blood status.

“No, we're both half bloods,” Kyungsoo says easily instead, Sehun allowing himself to visibly relax and reach for the second doughnut. “I actually made these to give to Baekhyun, and I wanted to try out making doughnuts as well-- eat up,” he motions to Sehun. “But since you seem to like them, you can have them all.”

Sehun’s waving his hands in front of him, shaking his head even as he takes another bite. This one is rich with flowing caramel icing, the little golden sparkling popping candy fizzing in his mouth. It’s sweet, something that Baekhyun would undoubtedly delight over. “No, no,” he denies with a small, quiet squeak. “This is already plenty!”

To his horror, Kyungsoo only turns away, waving his wand with a swish and a flick-- the doughnuts sitting on the adjacent table that Kyungsoo often uses to prepare his ingredients come floating over, and the elves busy themselves placing them all in containers.

“Have these,” Kyungsoo turns back to Sehun, holding out a packaged box of doughnuts, the back of his neck growing quite nearly as red as his Gryffindor robes. “They’d make great snacks while doing your homework, trust me.”

And before Sehun could protest, the container is already shoved into his hands, Kyungsoo’s slight smile glowing in the warm yellow light of the kitchen. He doesn’t pull away, hands lingering on Sehun’s for a beat too long, perhaps.

“You should give them to Baekhyun,” Sehun manages, voice low and quiet, the way it always is. The way Kyungsoo’s is, too. “They were meant for him.”

“Well, now they’re meant for you,” Kyungsoo says decisively. “I’ll make more for Baekhyun another time, he doesn’t need to know.”

He peers at Sehun, corners of those plump lips tweaking up.

“This is between you and me. Don’t tell him, okay?”

And for the first time, Sehun lets his mouth imitate Kyungsoo’s giving him a small grin of his own, nodding obediently despite the light-hearted lilt in Kyungsoo’s deep voice. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> note: house elves naturally speak with incorrect grammar. It's goblins that have perfect speech, but it's normal for elves to use the wrong tense or words
> 
> New chapters will be posted every Monday and Thursday every week! Follow me on twitter @djjdkim for more content related to this story, and to be up to date with when I post chapters!
> 
> ily ily ily thank you for reading!


	2. levicorpus (uplift me)

Kyungsoo had extended the invitation with a smile over his shoulder, asking Sehun to come next time.

“I’m making more doughnuts,” he had said with a hopeful smile hanging on those thick lips of his. “And muffins. You should come, taste test them for me. The elves are no good for that, they say everything tastes good.”

Sehun most certainly did not turn up again.

He had happily eaten the rest of the doughnuts Kyungsoo gave him while he was doing his homework in the Slytherin common room and in his dormitory like Kyungsoo had said, but the sheer humiliation from being dragged out of hiding and exposed to the boy he had been spying on is enough to keep him away, no matter how sweet Kyungsoo may be.

He had briefly allowed himself to imagine what Kyungsoo’s disappointed, crestfallen face might be, that Sehun never visited the kitchens again after last time, but quickly snapped himself back to reality. His quiet, awkward, shy self doesn’t quite make good company, and quite frankly he was never meant to be down there in the kitchens in the first place. He was following Kyungsoo, spying on him, trailing him, which Sehun is definitely not proud of.

He does, unashamedly, wistfully think of what delicacies Kyungsoo would be whipping up in the kitchens every night though. Half the time he’s tempted to make a trip up from the dungeons to the ground floor just to have a peek-- but the horrific way the elf had found him keeps him underneath the Great Lake, determined to not make such a fool of himself again.

But then he's running into Doh Kyungsoo again.

“HEY KIM JONGIN!”

Jongin pauses mid-sentence and the two of them turn around in the middle of the charms corridor, only for a few large black bats to swoop down on them.

Sehun hurriedly ducks, arms over his head, but Jongin only lazily swats at the bats with the arm that his bag isn't hanging off.

Their older Gryffindor friends come thundering up to the two friends, a big group of fluttering red and black robes and varying degrees of done-up ties.

“Sorry Sehun,” Kim Jongdae says, with his tie hanging completely undone around his neck, before making a face at his younger brother then breezing past and taking his bats with him. “You're no fun!”

“That's because you used to attack me with bats every morning when I leave my bedroom!” Jongin shouts back as the rest of the Gryffindor clique hurry past, clearly on their way to more mischief making.

It means Sehun gets to watch as Kyungsoo follows at the end of the group, only looking mildly exasperated at their antics. While Baekhyun and Chanyeol each sport loose ties, Chanyeol’s shirt buttoned haphazardly too, Kyungsoo’s red and gold silk tie is tightened perfectly, dressed impeccably in a crisp white shirt tucked into his pants, grey Gryffindor vest and his outer black robes. But he glances up as he passes Sehun, shoots him a small smile, eyes lingering on the Slytherin for a moment longer.

It's Halloween, which would explain the bats. And as Sehun and Jongin learnt last year, the Gryffindors take pride in causing chaos around the castle at this time of the year.

Sehun turns to Jongin, who looks completely unphased. “Did he really do that? How does he get the bats to do that??”

“It's a variation of  _ Oppugno _ ,” Jongin snorts, shrugging. “If there's one thing Jongdae’s good at its Transfiguration and jinxes and hexes. Before I started at Hogwarts, he used to come home during the summer holidays,” he explains, hitching his bag up on his shoulder and continuing their way to their history of magic class like absolutely nothing happened. “Because our parents are never around, they're always working. So he'd have to come home in the holidays to stay with me. And every morning, without fail, he'd send damn bats at me the moment I open my bedroom door.”

Sehun chortles, but Jongin only sighs with a shake of his head.

“He's done worse,” the Gryffindor continues. “He used to do things like make everything I touch turn into slugs, and  _ levicorpus  _ is his favourite spell, so of course he abused that. Hanging upside down even started feeling pretty comfortable at some point.”

Sehun follows Jongin into the classroom, ready for a sleep inducing class. “Merlin, my brother was never so bad.”

“Jongdae just likes to practice his pranks on me,” Jongin laughs, taking a seat beside Sehun on the same table. “Watch out, now that it's Halloween. Those four will probably try to outdo last year.”

With a shudder, Sehun remembers the carved pumpkin lanterns that talked in Chanyeol’s loud booming voice that said random things to you as you pass by-- then there was the bloody axe that was charmed to run at students and chase them around. It ran into the transfiguration professor, who turned it into a feather with a single wave of the wand and that was the end of that.

There was also the  _ tarantallegra _ jinx placed on the railings of the grand staircase down to the ground floor, so that anyone who touched the railings went off with their legs madly flailing. 

Sehun was spared, because he had been walking down those stairs with Jongin, who was on the side of the railings and was the one subject to being laughed at by everyone in the vicinity (including Sehun).

But Jongin was right.

A pair of Hufflepuff girls walk past busy talking amongst each other and laughing, barely even noticing the statue of the giant spider sitting in the corner of the second floor corridor.

But that’s exactly what it looks like, just statues that decorate the school. No one knew that the group of four Gryffindors are watching behind a curtain, waiting for the girls to walk right in front of the statue before a certain Kim Jongdae raises his wand, mutters something under his breath, and the statue comes to life, pouncing towards the girls.

The girls run down the hallway, shrieking, and the boys erupt in howls of laughter, falling over each other as Jongdae tearfully waves at the spider with his wand, bringing it back to it’s corner, turning the real spider back into a statue. 

“Brilliant, absolutely brilliant,” Chanyeol wheezes, wiping tears of laughter from the crinkled corners of his eyes and Jongdae flashes him a wide, smug grin.

“I don’t understand how you’re so good at Transfiguration,” Kyungsoo was saying, picking himself up off the floor that he can collapsed onto in his fits of laughter.

Jongdae merely shrugs as though it was really no big deal. “It’s just a variation of the  _ draconifors  _ spell. Turns statues of something into the real deal.”

“We learnt  _ draconifors _ ?” Baekhyun asks, turning confused looks on his friend, before getting shakes of heads back at him.

“We didn’t. We’ll learn it next year, but Jongdae is a Transfiguration freak,” Chanyeol explains helpfully. His eyes suddenly light up, and he gasps before Jongdae has the chance to retort. “Wait I have the best idea!”

And despite his complete fear of the spiders, turns out Chanyeol’s best idea was to drop a statue-turned-live spider on the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain’s perfect head of hair.

They’ve hidden around a corner, and watch with bated breath as Chanyeol raises his wand, a large spider floating over through the air as sixth year Kim Minseok walks past-- before unceremoniously dropping on his neatly combed brown hair.

Jongdae can’t seem to contain himself, rolling on the carpeted floor in hysterics while Baekhyun and Kyungsoo guffaw loudly, though Minseok only takes one look at the moving black furry legs on his forehead before plucking the spider right off. He casts the Gryffindors around the corner a dirty look, flinging the spider by the leg in their general direction before sweeping off, blue robes fluttering behind him as he goes.

Kyungsoo straightens up, pushes his glasses back up his nose bridge, watching as Jongdae transfigures the scurrying black thing back into an inanimate form. But that is far from the last time it’s seen-- with a few days to go until the Halloween feast on the 31st, their trusty eight legged friend dutifully appears around the castle.

Though, with his army of spiders that do Jongdae’s every bidding once he turns them alive, it means that Chanyeol refuses to approach Jongdae for quite a few days. The spiders listen to whoever transfigured them, and that keeps Chanyeol on edge. Even being best friends doesn’t spare Chanyeol from being a victim to his own prank, when Jongdae made a little spider leisurely crawl across Chanyeol’s desk in the middle of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Needless to say, the poor boy yells at the top of his large lungs, springing to his feet with surprising agility for such a lanky, usually clumsy body. Chanyeol doesn’t seem to care much, hiding his large frame behind Baekhyun’s much smaller body, shaking like a leaf.

“You are awful,” Kyungsoo whispers to Jongdae who shares a desk with him, the older boy’s curled lips stretching into a satisfied smirk as he watches Chanyeol and Baekhyun from a few tables away.

“Ten points from Gryffindor, thanks to Mr Park.”

Chanyeol only clenches his large fists harder in Baekhyun’s Gryffindor robes, sobbing for Baekhyun to “get rid of it, please get it away from me”.

 

It’s a different story altogether at the Halloween Feast, though.

The enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall is perfect and cloudless, starry skies twinkling down on the students below, with countless jack-o-lanterns hovering in the air above the four great tables of the Houses. The pumpkins with devilish expressions carved into them flicker and glow as though filled with fire, as do the lanterns lining the walls of the Great Hall. The sweeping of the ghosts of Hogwarts through the air manage to disrupt the steady light from the pumpkins, though it is never extinguished, so that there are dancing, spooky-faced shadows casted all over the walls. Black silhouettes of bats are hung around the castle too, and the goblets along each of the tables are filled with pumpkin juice, undoubtedly made from all the pumpkins used as decoration. 

Not long after the Headmaster took his seat again, after speaking to the students sitting before him and food finally appearing magically on the tables, complete chaos erupts on the Slytherin table.

Baekhyun, all the way over on the Gryffindor table on the opposite end of the Great Hall, had whipped out his wand, aiming with narrowed eyes through the figures of fellow students at a large pumpkin sitting in the middle of the Slytherin table.

“ _ Reducto _ ,” Baekhyun whispers, and the great big pumpkin explodes into smithereens.

But it’s the hundreds and thousands of cockroaches that had been inside the hollowed pumpkin scurrying out all at once that causes the symphony of shrieking and screaming. 

They pour out endlessly, jumping onto students, running over the tables, falling onto the floor, falling into goblets of pumpkin juice-- Sehun was one of the many that jumped to his feet from his seat at the table, hurriedly swiping cockroaches that had fallen on his lap off.

With a quick glance over at the Gryffindors beside themselves in peals of laughter across the hall, his gaze is suddenly caught by a pair of black framed glasses. Doh Kyungsoo looks up, smile so wide it stretches his lips into pretty pink little hearts, locking eyes with the standing Slytherin-- and then Sehun’s laughing too.

He really couldn’t be mad. He chuckles, broad shoulders shaking as he lowers his head of blonde hair, gazing down at the mess on the Slytherin table before him, and really, it’s pretty funny.

Only when a professor comes striding along, cleaning the cockroaches all up with a single sweep of a wand, does Sehun take a seat again, letting his eyes stray over to the Gryffindor table. He catches Kyungsoo high-fiving his three friends, Baekhyun cackling as Jongdae raises a pumpkin juice toast to the two of them, and that’s when it hits Sehun. That this prank was crafted by none other than Doh Kyungsoo, who has access to the kitchens, who is close enough with the house elves to convince them to do this before the Halloween feast, who supervised the creation of this masterpiece of a prank, and left just the exploding to Baekhyun. It makes Sehun silently giggle again, shaking his head as a Slytherin house mate asks him what’s so funny. 

As the food vanishes from the table and plates after the main course, allowing the goblets to be refilled and all varieties of Halloween candy to pop up onto the tables, Sehun glances across the hall, watches as Chanyeol throws handfuls of candy into the air to catch (mostly miss) with his mouth.

Kyungsoo giggling at his friends makes him think of the way their eyes met, the way the boy flashed his smile straight at him-- it makes Sehun wonder, wonder if Kyungsoo will be at the kitchens tonight after that tiny, miniscule exchange. And wonder again, what Kyungsoo’s reaction might be, if Sehun was to pop up there, after so long has passed since Sehun was last found in the kitchens.

 

“Would I look better without my glasses?”

Kyungsoo slides his thick frames off, blinking at the elves as they turn to him while cleaning up the mess and leftover food from the Halloween feast. He pouts at their synchronised response that he looks good either way, popping a spoonful of pumpkin pudding in his mouth, letting the spoon stick out. 

He sucks on the spoon thoughtfully. “Maybe he’s just shy,” he concludes, leaning forwards to continue rambling on to the elves who happily lend their very large ears to listen to all of Kyungsoo’s woes. “How am I supposed to approach a shy person when I’m shy too?”

Sehun’s growing increasingly more confused by the minute. He watches from his old hiding spot, though he didn’t exactly plan to. He planned to waltz in, confident and sure of his every step, and say hi to Kyungsoo-- but the boy had been in what seemed like a serious conversation when Sehun first came in. So he’d ducked to the side, unfortunately slipping back into his eavesdropping habit, only to find out that Kyungsoo is still on about some boy.

The Gryffindor sighs, taking another bite of his pudding. The food that surrounds him on the table that he likes to normally sit at looks like the desserts that was served to the Hogwarts student body and staff only a few hours ago, but Kyungsoo still enjoys it all the same, though his mind isn’t exactly on food.

In fact, not even his eyes are on the food that he’s reaching for, fixed on a wall of the kitchens in a bit of a daze. “What if he thinks I’m a terrible person for that prank? I mean, it’s pretty gross, cockroaches climbing everywhere….” he groans, dropping his face into his hands, and letting his spoon drop to the wooden table top with a soft thud. “He looked so pretty,” Kyungsoo whimpers, muffled, rendering Sehun in even more of a speechless shock. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to approach him like a normal person, he’s too bloody beautiful I’d rather just sit here and rot away.”

“Young Master will not rot aways,” comes the cheery chirping of a passing elf, and Kyungsoo only sighs.

“I’d rather that than embarrass myself trying to stutter my way through a confession,” he continues. “It’s better like this, it’s one-sided on my part anyway.”

“Young Master doesn’t knows for sure!”

“Except I do. He never even looks at me for longer than two seconds, while I’m here admiring him like he’s a fine painting from across the hall like some dumb lovesick idiot,” Kyungsoo whines. Now Sehun wouldn’t say he’s an expert on Doh Kyungsoo, in fact he’s never been close to him and never really paid much attention to him until recently, but he would confidently say that Doh Kyungsoo does  _ not  _ whine.

The kitchens fall silent, save for the clinking of cutlery as the elves continue their business cleaning up around Kyungsoo’s slumped form on the table, and Sehun stands in the corner, awkwardly fiddling with his thumbs.

“I’m definitely screwed,” is the last thing Kyungsoo says before a lull in the conversation, falling silent. And Sehun finally decides to step around the corner.

Better than being found out and exposed again, right?

He stands there, peering around the kitchens for a moment, before managing to muster up a “Kyungsoo?” in the tiniest voice.

The boy’s head of short black hair instantly shoots up from the table top, whipping around so fast his glasses nearly fall right off his nose. And as soon as his eyes land on Sehun, standing at the entrance of the kitchens, they widen comically, so much that Sehun’s beginning to think that his eyeballs are dangerously close to popping out. He can understand the surprise-- he wouldn’t have heard Sehun come in, and certainly didn’t expect him here. But what Sehun can’t understand is the deep red flush that spread across Kyungsoo’s face, ears, and neck, the boy turning away to shakily push his glasses up his face.

“Sehun,” Kyungsoo manages, the embarrassment leaking right into his tone as well. “I-I didn’t notice you there.”

He stares at Sehun, and despite not actually asking the question, Sehun can guess what’s sitting on the tip of the other boy’s tongue.

“I only just got here,” he lies through his teeth, giving Kyungsoo what he hopes is a small, reassuring smile. The Gryffindor visibly relaxes, letting out a little huff in relief, slumping into his seat. 

“Thank goodness,” he sighs, before beckoning Sehun over with a little endearing smile, patting the stool next to him, eyes twinkling hopefully. “Come, sit. Here’s the leftovers from the feast.”

As Sehun hops onto the stool he eyes the boy next to him, willing himself to push thoughts of Kyungsoo’s little melt down to the back of his head in a box labeled ‘later’. He’ll muse over it in bed for the rest of the night, but for now, he grins at Kyungsoo. “So that pumpkin prank, huh?” Kyungsoo chuckles. “I can only assume it was your doing. You’re the one always down here working with the elves.”

“You’re a smart one,” Kyungsoo ends up saying after a moment of embarrassed silence. “Sorry it had to be right in front of you.”

“Don’t be,” Sehun waves off easily, reaching over to grab a treacle tart off the table. “I enjoyed it, I thought it was genius.”

Kyungsoo’s smile stretches, so much that it squints his eyes, pushes up his cheeks, and shows off a heart sitting on his mouth. His eyes shine, hopeful, focused on Sehun. “You did?”

Though Sehun only nods, the other boy continues smiling to himself, flushing. And it’s like the grin can’t really leave Kyungsoo’s lips, despite the way he tends to treat his own best friends. It’s the effect of being in the kitchens, Sehun’s sure.

“Aside from the cockroaches,” The Gryffindor is shyly pushing a plate of chocolate croissants and a slice of blueberry cheesecake towards Sehun. “I did also contribute to desserts for the feast in this way.”

Sehun swivels his widened eyes on Kyungsoo. The perfect even colour of the cheesecake, the beautiful smell of the croissants, the endearing shyness of the Gryffindor. “You made these?”

“Yeah. I don’t know if you noticed them on the tables… the elves made hundreds and thousands of copies of these once I made them.”

It doesn’t take much taste testing for Sehun to have compliments raining from his lips, smile growing on Kyungsoo’s face, and a warmth spreading down Sehun’s spine and throughout his body. He asks about what the Gryffindors have gotten up to over Halloween, and Kyungsoo is more than eager to spill everything from the spider dropping on Kim Minseok’s head to the unfortunate points deducted from Gryffindor house for Chanyeol’s overreaction at the spider on his desk.

Sehun laughs along heartily, momentarily wondering why Jongdae felt the need to attack Chanyeol with spiders when the poor boy clearly hates them with every piece of his being, but shrugs it off. “Aren’t they like, inseparable?” Sehun mentions to Kyungsoo instead, having already fallen into incredibly comfortable conversation as Kyungsoo sips on hot chocolate the elves made them and Sehun picks at another cheesecake slice. “I’m surprised Chanyeol sat with Baekhyun instead of Jongdae.”

“It was just the way we walked into the room,” Kyungsoo shrugs, before grinning wide and sunny and beautiful at the other boy eating. “I’m glad you like my cooking so much.”

Sehun only hums happily around a spoon hanging from his lips. “Who wouldn’t?”

 

Strawberry tarts, fruit cake, chocolate mousse, sugar cookies, cream filled pastries, Kyungsoo’s smile, the list goes on the more Sehun pops into the kitchens. Sweets and treats are fed to him quite nearly every night, and Sehun had whined loudly that at this rate he’ll get far too heavy for his broomstick before the first quidditch match of the new school year.

Kyungsoo had squinted at him, leaned right into his space to poke Sehun in the stomach. “You’re far too skinny,” he had said instead, with a mock frown. “You’re all lanky and thin, good thing I get you to eat more.”

“Merlin, you’re like a nagging mother,” Sehun had laughed, but Kyungsoo kept to his word. And he really can’t help himself when Kyungsoo’s just so wonderful a cook.

He doesn’t believe it when Kyungsoo mentions that his friends don’t nearly like his cooking this much, that Sehun’s the first to wolf it all down like it’s a five star meal, and moan in appreciation at everything Kyungsoo feeds him.

“I’m not kidding,” Kyungsoo protests, stirring his mixture. What he makes everyday is a mystery until it’s finished, until Sehun gets to taste test it like a dog waiting for morsels from his master. But he happily does so, he happily sits and talks with Kyungsoo for hours over their desserts and supper, talks all night until they’re both yawning and the charmed clock on the wall has stopped ticking and started snoring instead.

Only then does Kyungsoo quickly send Sehun back down to the dungeons, always with an armful of packed sweets to last him an entire week, with hopeful smiles and promises to see him again. Sehun has tried asking him how exactly he travels through the entire castle from the seventh floor down to the ground floor every night, but Kyungsoo only gives him a secretive shrug everytime, suggesting that maybe one day he’ll show Sehun.

“Only Chanyeol appreciates my cooking,” Kyungsoo continues, poking a finger into batter before sticking it right in his mouth, sucking. His fingertip is pulled out with a soft ‘pop’, and he hums. “Though I suspect that’s because Chanyeol would eat anything. He’s got no taste for good food.”

“And neither does Baekhyun and Jongdae if they don’t like your cooking,” Sehun adds, much to Kyungsoo’s delight. The Gryffindor’s entire face flushes, cheeks squished up into his glasses as he smiles. He tries to subtly pull himself together, continuing mixing the batter, but the smile never leaves.

Sehun’s also tried multiple times asking if Kyungsoo needs help, but the boy only gives him a stern look, making him sit and wait like a puppy for his food, refusing to let Sehun move a single finger. He feels incredibly spoilt.

“See, this is why you’re my favourite junior. And my favourite Slytherin too, at that.”

The way Kyungsoo speaks is light-hearted, but his eyes flickering behind his glasses and his nervous lip biting habit gives him away as he glances at Sehun.

“So I better be your favourite Gryffindor,” he clears his throat, and Sehun grins.

“Of course. All that food can’t have been for nothing,” he points out just as easily, and Kyungsoo nods gravely.

“I see how it is,” Kyungsoo straightens up, brandishing his wand in one hand to  _ accio  _ a large metal spoon from the other table on the opposite side of the kitchens. “Bribe Oh Sehun with food. Got it.”

Sehun only watches as he bustles around, spooning little chunks of the mixture out. Kyungsoo doesn’t quite dare to use too much magic to have everything done for him just yet, he isn’t confident he can control objects with his wand the same way he can control objects with his hands. It takes time-- but he’s already using simple levitating charms to move hot trays in and out of the oven, summoning other items, and Sehun likes to watch the whirl of flying utensils around the kitchen as Kyungsoo bustles about, a tiny figure in the enormous space with the mass of things he’s surrounded by.

“Well what can I say,” Sehun eventually responds, leaning back on his chair. “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

Kyungsoo’s wand shakes in his hand all of a sudden, the bowl hovering in the air quite nearly dropping straight to the floor if he didn’t quickly regain his concentration. He laughs awkwardly, hurriedly moving the conversation on and choosing to cleanly ignore what Sehun said. And like an idiot, Sehun chooses to not pay it any attention, actively listening to Kyungsoo tell him about the troubles his friends got up to that day instead. 

“And like usual, they started arguing,” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, Sehun chuckling quietly. He can believe that the Gryffindors would start heated debates over Quidditch-- which makes him peer curiously at Kyungsoo. And like the boy knows exactly what Sehun’s thinking, he continues. “Literally all of my friends, even Jongin, is into quidditch. And I am-- not.”

Though he chuckles, Sehun frowns. It hasn’t even occurred to him that there may be students who dislike quidditch-- the stands are always filled with screaming, cheering students, students who bet on teams, who wave banners, who yell their voices hoarse for their favourite players and for their own house. And what’s more is Kyungsoo’s right-- all of the Gryffindor clique are avid quidditch fans and quidditch players, and even himself and Jongin started out being quidditch obsessed to being quidditch players, seekers for both Slytherin and Gryffindor. And yet Kyungsoo is the odd one out.

Sehun had grown up with the idea of quidditch, ever since his older brother kept talking about it. He too had played for the Slytherin quidditch team while at Hogwarts, and Sehun had only listened with rapt attention when his brother comes home for the holidays and tells him all about their games. And so ever since he was little, Sehun had wanted to fly on a broomstick, snatch balls out of the air, listen to the cries of his house mates, win the Quidditch Cup.

Never had he thought that the game doesn’t interest some people, when he himself is so focused on it.

“How come?” he says, tilting his head to one side and watching as Kyungsoo purses his lips into a slight pout, straightening up from where he was bent over the table.

“Well for one I have a fear of heights,” Kyungsoo smiles, sheepish and delicate. “So I definitely can’t fly on a broomstick. You can imagine how my first flying lesson went in first year.”

Sehun laughs, before leaning forwards. “No, I can’t, actually. Please enlighten me.”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “First, saying ‘up’ didn’t work. Second, when I actually managed to push myself to climb onto my broom, I couldn’t control it at all.” he shudders, an entire, full-body shudder down to his feet. “The damn thing took off by itself, and I was hanging on with my life and screaming my lungs out. Then it crashed itself into a tree, I fell off and broke my arm. And the broom floated away without me.”

Sehun moves a hand over his mouth, trying his very best to stifle his laughter, but when Kyungsoo chuckles too at the memory, shaking his head, Sehun really can’t hold it in any longer. He bursts out laughing into his palms, and Kyungsoo flicks flour at him.

“You really do not have it in you to fly,” Sehun gasps through his fingers, wheezing, and Kyungsoo snorts.

“Oh I definitely don’t. Now stop laughing at my misery,” he throws more flour at the Slytherin, though his scolding isn’t quite as effective with the bright smile hanging on his face the way the moon would be dangling in the sky at this time of the night. “For a kid who was already deathly afraid of heights, that was a near-death experience!”

It takes Sehun a few more minutes of silent giggles to calm down, but then he’s propping his face on his hand which sits upright on the table top, watching Kyungsoo slowly move his tray into the oven. “But Jongdae doesn’t fly,” Sehun points out. “And he still loves quidditch all the same.”

“He does fly,” Kyungsoo replies simply, pulling up the great big oven door, and Sehun jolts in his seat. “He flies better than Baekhyun or Chanyeol. He and Jongin are similar in that aspect.”

“What?” Sehun gapes.

“He would’ve passed the Quidditch trials and been a beater alongside Chanyeol if he wasn’t such a menace in the sky.” Kyungsoo wipes his hands, turning the knobs on the oven and Sehun watches through the windows on the doors as the inside of the ovens glow green. Kyungsoo had shrugged when Sehun asked him why it was green-- something weird about magical ovens. “The thing with Jongdae is that he’s too fucking competitive, and doesn’t play fair. The Captain didn’t want him on the pitch because he has a mind of his own and is frankly a bit of an asshole,” Kyungsoo snorts. “Not because he can’t fly.”

Sehun gapes, dumbfounded.

“A bit of a shame, really.” the Gryffindor returns to the table where Sehun sits, awkwardly hopping up onto the tall stool. An elf dutifully brings over a fresh mug of hot cocoa, and Kyungsoo gives her a gracious smile in thanks. “He was really good on that broomstick.”

Sehun shakes his head in silent disbelief, raising his own mug to clink it gently against Kyungsoo’s, the two of them sharing a similar grin over the rims before they sip in unison. He makes a mental note to ask Jongdae for the details from the story where he was rejected from the quidditch team another time. Or Chanyeol. The two are basically joined at the hip-- if anyone would know all of Jongdae’s dirty little secrets and embarrassing moments, it would be Chanyeol.

 

In hindsight, snacking every night down in the kitchens may not be the best idea.

Subconsciously Sehun has begun eating less at dinner, saving space in his stomach to fill once he joins Kyungsoo and eats all those sweets to his heart’s desire. But then in order for his house mates to not suspect a thing, Sehun still has to try his best to eat the most he can come dinnertime-- including the desserts, even though he knows for sure that Kyungsoo’s are just that much better.

The walnut and caramel cake is eaten in little bites from Sehun’s plate. It’s enjoyable, but it’s not the rich, tingly, warm feeling that Kyungsoo’s desserts tend to give him. He glances up, and as the girl sitting opposite him on the Slytherin table leans to the side to grab another slice of cake, Sehun manages to catch a familiar pair of glasses.

The skin underneath those black frames suddenly flush, but the eyes maintain eye contact regardless. Sehun blinks across the hall, all the way to the opposite end of the Great Hall to the Gryffindor table, the spoonful of cake he still holds in one hand completely forgotten.

Kyungsoo only looks mildly embarrassed at having been caught red-handed with his eyes on Sehun by Sehun himself-- but that only makes his lips twitch, awkward and uncertain. 

It’s Sehun that grins, flashing a secret smile intended only for Kyungsoo across all four tables. The girl opposite him just had to move back in her spot, easily blocking Sehun’s view of Kyungsoo, but that doesn’t deter him. He leans to the side to look past her long black hair cascading down her shoulder, finding Kyungsoo still looking his way-- and then the Gryffindor, too, lets his lips form a shape mirroring Sehun’s smile.

The Slytherin shifts back into his seat, Kyungsoo disappearing behind the heads of other students again, but the smile on his face doesn’t disappear in the same way. It is here to stay, settling softly over Sehun’s lips, so much that he has to take a drink from his goblet in a poor effort to hide it. 

  
  


“What do you want, Chanyeol? My treat!”

Chanyeol yells happily, digging his nose into the shelves of sweets at Honeydukes.

With a week to go until Chanyeol’s birthday, it was an unspoken decision to make their Hogsmeade trip this week all about him. Baekhyun, for once, agrees to buy Chanyeol the sweets he wants, which mostly consists of iced mice and jelly slugs, while Jongdae and Chanyeol happily romp around in Zonko’s Joke Shop, Jongdae spending his money on Chanyeol once the latter has chosen what he wanted (with the exception being love potions-- Jongdae steers him clear away from the disgustingly pink section of the joke shop, smacking him upside the head).

It isn’t until later, when the boys are standing around in the freezing late autumn air bickering in front of the quill shop that Jongdae’s brother finally finds them.

Jongin leaps onto Chanyeol from behind, laughing in his ear and shoving a big bag of chocoballs with strawberry mousse filling into Chanyeol’s arms, that are already quite full from the bunch of things that his friends have bought him already.

“What took you guys so long?” Jongdae cries, Jongin hopping off Chanyeol and Sehun stepping up into the circle of boys from where he had been trailing behind Jongin. “Do we want to go to Dervish and Banges or not?”

“Chocoballs!” Chanyeol exclaims gleefully instead, entirely ignoring Jongdae. He turns to throw long arms over Jongin’s shoulders, the younger boy giggling into his older friend’s red sweater clad shoulders. With the weather rapidly cooling day by day, each of them are dressed somewhat in knits, from Jongdae and Chanyeol’s red Gryffindor sweaters to Baekhyun’s beanie with the Gryffindor crest on the front. Kyungsoo is nearly swamped in a gigantic, fluffy red and gold striped scarf, and Sehun tries his best not to giggle when he sets his eyes on the boy.

Jongin looks like he’s about to freeze to death, having left Hogwarts only wearing one of the (ugly) grey Gryffindor vests with the red and gold neckline, with just his school shirt underneath. At least Sehun is wearing his outer black robes, as well as a deep green cardigan. Glancing around the circle, Sehun tries to melt behind his best friend. He stands out far too much, a hovering green shadow in a bunch of bright red figures-- but Kyungsoo catches him.

Just as Baekhyun and Jongdae continue arguing about going to have a look at any new stationery or quidditch equipment, Kyungsoo shuffles over discreetly from his spot next to Baekhyun. A poke in the side, a pair of raised thick brows, black-rimmed glasses.

“They’ll be here for a while,” Kyungsoo murmurs, leaning in towards Sehun with a tiny little upturn of the corners of his lips. “Want to head down to the Three Broomsticks first?”

Sehun perks up. Hanging out with Kyungsoo somewhere that’s not in the kitchens with thirty elves listening in on their conversation?

He chances a quick glance around, and true to Kyungsoo’s words, Baekhyun and Jongdae are still in heated debate, while Jongin and Chanyeol have already busted into the damn chocoballs. And with a cheery grin directed right back at Kyungsoo, Sehun nods eagerly, watching how Kyungsoo’s smile grows almost immediately.

Kyungsoo had chosen a dimly lit table with just two candles at the back of the Three Broomsticks, sliding onto the cushioned seat with a little sigh, unraveling his long scarf from his neck. He looked adorable with it on though, how his chin disappeared into the red wool and made him somehow look even tinier than he already is with his neck hidden. But Sehun says nothing, only watching with a secretive smile hanging on his lips.

Kyungsoo had just gotten Sehun talking about classes and how much he hates herbology-- Kyungsoo adamantly disagrees, thinks plants can be magical, and likes to learn about their peculiar little quirks that every species of magical plant has.

“Just because you don’t like getting your hands dirty,” Kyungsoo teases, round eyes gleaming from behind his thick-framed glasses. “Mr Prim and Proper Slytherin Prince.”

Sehun only weakly protests that “I am not a prince!”, but Kyungsoo’s chuckling, moving to order them some warm pumpkin juice-- but the rest of their friends come barging in the door of the cozy little pub, increasing the noise level in the place all of a sudden. They rush to the table Kyungsoo and Sehun had picked out, loud voices complaining that they had just run off without them.

And Jongdae and Baekhyun are much faster than Kyungsoo, the two of them running over to the counter. Chanyeol trails after them to pay, while Jongin pushes all the sweets that Chanyeol had received today into the centre of the table, busying himself opening packets and bags.

“Butterbeer!” Chanyeol cheers, holding up two large jugs of the drink one in each hand, while Jongdae and Baekhyun echo him, following after him with more large mugs of butterbeer, sliding the drinks to everyone clustered around the small table. “My treat, guys!”

They share the candy they bought for Chanyeol, the boy already popping a pink jelly slug in his mouth and prompting everyone else to. Jongdae raises his beer mug, and the rest of them follow with loud chants of birthday wishes and ‘happy early birthday, Chanyeol’s.

And with the first quidditch match of the year coming up right in front of them, the boys erupt in rowdy discussion over butterbeer, Chanyeol eagerly yelling about tactics while Baekhyun points out all the loopholes and flaws in his plans.

“You can’t do that, blocking is one of the seven hundred Quidditch fouls,” Jongdae rolls his eyes.

Jongin had perked up at the topic, pausing his chewing for a moment, how Chanyeol had mentioned to block the opposing team’s seeker to obstruct their path towards the golden snitch if they need to. They collectively jab at Chanyeol for the awful idea, especially since Gryffindor is playing against Slytherin for the first match of the year, and the Slytherin seeker that Chanyeol was thinking of blocking is sitting just at the end of their table.

But Sehun’s ears aren’t on their quidditch conversation.

He met Kyungsoo’s eyes throughout all their loud bickering, suddenly thinking of Kyungsoo mentioning that he has no interest at all for quidditch. Indeed, the boy only quietly sips on his butterbeer, picking at the chocoballs and chocolate frogs that sit in the middle of the table.  _ He does like chocolate _ , Sehun notes privately to himself.

“Are you going to come see the game tomorrow anyway?” Sehun whispers to him, low voice almost inaudible with Chanyeol’s loud talking and Jongdae’s high-pitched protests over him. He bites onto a bottom lip, watching as Kyungsoo blinks, taken aback entirely by the question.

And when the boy doesn’t respond, Sehun deflates just a little. It isn’t just a Gryffindor match afterall-- he too will be on the quidditch pitch, and there’s just something about Kyungsoo still coming to a quidditch game when he isn’t interested that has Sehun hoping.

“Though, I suppose you would cheer for your own house anyway even if you come,” Sehun pouts, taking a swig of butterbeer, feeling it fizz on his tongue and trying his best to down the drink like he’s swallowing his disappointment.

He lifts his glass to his lips again, gulping down another generous mouthful of butterbeer, and conveniently misses Kyungsoo’s quiet smile, hidden behind his raised mug. He doesn’t respond, though his eyes remain on the Slytherin, and his lips remain in that shape, even as he takes another drink.

  
  


In flowing long capes and bright red robes with gold lettering, the team marches onto the pitch.

“Let’s welcome, Gryffindor!” comes Jongdae’s unmistakable high-pitched yelling from the commentator’s stand, whooping as his friends appear in single-file. “Captain Choi Siwon and keeper of Gryffindor at the head of his absolutely fabulous team, followed by his three terrific chasers, Song Qian the beautiful, Lee Hyukjae the speedy and Byun Baekhyun the boring!”

The entire audience that has completely filled up the stands erupt into laughter, and Jongdae from all the way up in the commentator’s stands gets a glimpse of Baekhyun’s absolutely offended expression with his jaw dropped, and huffs a breathy laugh into the microphone. He clears his throat, before continuing onto the rest of the team. Though he was never accepted into the Gryffindor quidditch team, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t try to get himself involved with the quidditch games. His naturally loud voice full of enthusiasm and excitement at the action in the air scored him the job as the official Hogwarts quidditch commentator, and the view from his post is pretty fabulous, to his delight.

“And our amazing beaters, Amber Liu and Park Chanyeol, both looking pretty extraordinarily dashing today!” the audience gives a chorus of synchronised chuckles again, even a particular boy donned head to toe in red in the crowd of Gryffindors with short black hair and big glasses perched on his nose bridge. “And finally, please give a warm welcome to Gryffindor’s newest addition, the young but spectacular rising star of the team, seeker Kim Jongin!”

The poor boy looks shell-shocked, face having turned almost the same shade as his robes. He stands stiffly behind the rest of the team, glancing around the gigantic pitch and all the faces sitting in the stands with big round eyes behind those seeker goggles he wears on his face. Jongin nearly fumbles with his broom out of sheer nerves, and considering it’s his very first time on the pitch in front of the entire school, the audience sympathises with a collective coo. 

The Gryffindors arrange themselves in a line, and immediately the head of the Slytherin team marches onto the pitch, cascading green capes following him.

“Now, everybody say hello to the ever so handsome Choi Minho, Captain of the Slytherin team and his minions!” Jongdae shouts, though considerably less enthusiastic despite trying not to show it. “The other two chasers, Kwon Yuri and Lee Donghae, are not far behind, and you two look good together!”

Jongdae’s pained cry echoes through the stands as a professor prods him sharply in the back with her wand, though the student body seems amused at his admittedly unnecessary comments.

“Merlin, I get it!” Jongdae grumbles. “Moving on, we’ve got keeper Kim Kibum strutting onto the pitch next, having turned this match into a fashion show-- I love your leather boots,” Jongdae mock whispers into the mic as though telling the quidditch player hundreds of feet down below on the ground a little secret.

It’s these little things that make the school love him so much as the commentator. At one point in the previous year, Jongdae had been making too many suggestive comments about Chanyeol during a game that he was replaced with Ravenclaw senior Park Jungsoo, who is now in his seventh year, much to the outrage of all the students. Park didn’t do a bad job, in fact he reported all the happenings in the game as the commentator should, but the student body collectively complained that he just isn’t as funny, and thus the Headmaster allowed Jongdae to resume his throne at the very top of the stands.

“Cho Kyuhyun and Park Jimin, our trusty Slytherin beaters coming up chest to chest against Liu and Park Chanyeol-- it’s a shame Jimin’s just that much shorter, otherwise he might have better luck intimidating Daddy Long Legs on the Gryffindor team.” Jongdae’s voice suddenly lights up, and the rest of the school leans forwards in their seats, having received news that Slytherin too, has a new addition. “And the one we’ve all been waiting for, the fresh meat of the Slytherin team, our stunning seeker Sehun! A round of applause for Gryffindor and Slytherin!”

Sehun comes strolling onto the grass, and instantly the tension dissipates from Jongin’s shoulders. Even from all the way down on the ground, Sehun’s light blonde hair glows in the sun, lighting up his deep green robes and making him stand out perfectly. He walks right up to the end of the Slytherin team, standing right opposite Jongin-- and the two grin boyishly at each other as the teams stiffly shake hands.

Choi Siwon and Choi Minho, in particular, eye each other up with equal intensity, gripping onto each others hands for a moment longer than everybody else, before each are leading their teams away from the centre position on the grass, and brooms are being mounted in a flurry of robes. The players zoom into the air all at once, whooshing towards their positions in the air on the field.

Siwon takes up his spot in front of the three hoops that are the Gryffindor goals, his team of three chasers lined up not far ahead. Chanyeol and Amber slap their beater bats together in a resounding clunk before parting ways, each moving to one side of the Gryffindor team, big bats swinging ominously in both their hands. While the Slytherin players line up eye to eye with the Gryffindors, Donghae taking the time to taunt Hyukjae, Jongin lifts himself up, up above the rest of the players.

From his higher vantage point, he can guarantee to be able to better observe the game, the players, and the balls-- or the one ball he needs to get his eyes and hands on as soon as physically possible. The golden snitch.

But with a glance up, he finds Oh Sehun doing the exact same, rising into the clouds right in front of him, peering down at the players beneath them.

A moment later, and a cannon sounds.

“And the game begins!” Jongdae yells.

The two seekers both snap their heads down, eyes widening at the whirls of movement on the field beneath them as red and green all move seemingly at once the moment the balls are released high into the air.

“And Song has grabbed the quaffle! And in a flash, it has been passed to Lee the speedy,” Jongdae has started, and the entire student body is on their seats already. It’ll be a fast and hard game. “Speedy indeed-- but straight off the bat, see what I did there, we have Cho aiming his bat…”

The Slytherins down in the stands groan, the bludger hit by Kyuhyun narrowly missing Hyukjae who spins as he shoots towards the Slytherin goals.

“Excellent twirl technique, kindly demonstrated by Lee-- and now the three Gryffindor chasers are in a perfect Hawkshead attacking formation, extremely useful for forcing the Slytherin players aside as they aim for the goal,” Jongdae babbles in one long breath, standing up from his seat. “And the first goal of the match goes to Gryffindor! Ten points to zero!”

At the last minute Hyukjae had passed the quaffle to Baekhyun in a flash who was right next to him, and just as quickly, Baekhyun had thrown it straight into one of the hoops-- though not without faking a throw first, to trick Kibum to move aside and consequently miss, allowing Baekhyun to score a goal. The boy yells, throwing both fists in the air and flying in a small circle, absolutely soaking up the screaming from the Gryffindor spectators.

And though the next point was taken by Slytherin, Kwon Yuri managing to actually get past the tall and burly Gryffindor captain guarding the hoops with a perfectly thrown curve ball, it isn’t long until Jongdae is screaming “foul! Slytherin foul!” in his seat.

“No cobbing allowed!” Jongdae booms into the microphone, and Kyuhyun scowls. He had nearly flown right into Amber, and had very obviously tried his best to elbow her right off her broom, so that she could lose her focus trying to hit the bludger towards Lee Donghae, the Slytherin chaser who now carries the quaffle. The girl had yelped, grabbing onto her broom before glowering at the other beater. The Gryffindors only cheer loudly once they see the points being taken off the Slytherin team for the foul.

In that moment, Hyukjae and flown right up to Donghae, with Baekhyun on Donghae’s other side. They slam right into the Slytherin, the body blow from both sides forcing him to let go of the quaffle, which Hyukjae immediately snatches up and zooms off with. He blows Donghae a kiss from over his shoulder as compensation, though.

And just like that, Hyukjae scores another fast goal through the Slytherin hoops. It isn’t that the Slytherin chasers aren’t any good, but more like the Gryffindor keeper Siwon is just too good at using every part of his large-framed body to block every quaffle that comes his way. And with the addition of the amount of fouls Slytherin earns themselves, the gap is stretched out, greater and greater-- and it isn’t until Gryffindor has scored over a hundred points that the audience begin to wonder where on Earth the seekers have disappeared off to.

But their loyal commentator is already on it. “And it looks like my dear brother Kim Jongin has spotted the golden snitch!”

Immediately every single person’s eyes zero in on the Gryffindor seeker, racing through the air with his goggles tightly in place. The other players don’t stop, Song Qian taking the opportunity with the Slytherin keeper momentarily distracted by the movement of the seeker to score, again. A ping resounds through the pitch as another ten points are added onto the Gryffindor side of the scoreboard.

And just as the game continues on the pitch, Slytherin chasers moving in towards the goal posts with the quaffle, a loud smack rings out from Chanyeol’s immense backhand swing of his bat, bludger hurtling through the air in a well-aimed line towards Choi Minho. In a panic, he passes over his shoulder in a reverse pass to Yuri-- but Song Qian checks her just before she catches the quaffle, the Gryffindor chaser speeding off with the quaffle tight in her arms instead.

“Kim Jongin flying in a quick succession of zig zags,” Jongdae’s voice brings everyone’s attention back to the seeker, who is indeed rapidly zig-zagging through the air, hovering close to the ground. “A bludger, perhaps-- ah a bludger, chasing the Gryffindor seeker! I'm not going to point any fingers, but my guess is Park Jimin.”

Looking back on the pitch, it isn’t hard to spot the Slytherin beater lazily twirling his bat in one hand, victorious gleam in his eyes.

“My other guess,” Jongdae continues. “Is that Kim Jongin full-on panicked when the bludger came after him, and then lost the snitch, which is just wonderful for him, because Oh Sehun’s on it.”

And all the way on the other side of the pitch, everyone’s heads swivel over to the Slytherin seeker, just in time to spy him dropping suddenly and steeply into a rapid spiral dive.

A smack of a bat, and a bludger flying through the air towards him at the wrong moment-- Sehun’s long, blonde hair is whipping behind him out of his face, and the boy notices the bludger at the last minute.

“The golden snitch!” Jongdae cries. “Right in front of Oh’s nose! Is he going to miss it because of Liu’s bludger??”

The audience collectively holds their breath.

Amidst it all, Baekhyun had the quaffle, throwing it straight down towards the ground, and Hyukjae directly below him was ready. Using the speed of the falling quaffle, all it takes is Hyukjae using his broom to smack the ball, and it’s falling perfectly through the top hoop of the Slytherin goals. 

And suddenly Sehun’s slipping off his broom, and straight into a sloth grip roll, hanging upside down on his broom for a moment for the bludger to whizz past just over his head. And it seems like the sloth grip brings him closer to the snitch, because he reaches out with one hand and all of a sudden it’s over.

Gryffindor gains ten points from Hyukjae’s goal, while Slytherin gains 150. If it wasn’t for the last-minute goal, the two teams would have ended on a perfect tie. But though the snitch is in Sehun’s pale fingers, it’s Gryffindors that explode in cheers, having won narrowly by just ten points. Screaming and voices fill the entire pitch from all four houses, Slytherins groaning but applauding Sehun’s brilliant catch nonetheless-- and above it all, Jongdae in the commentator stand yells smack at his own brother for missing the snitch.

And even the tiny, glasses-donning boy in the Gryffindor stands is on his feet, screaming the second he watched Sehun’s fingers close around the snitch, snatching it first. He continues cheering a moment later with the rest of his house when the scoreboard changes, showing Gryffindor as the final winners of the match, but that doesn’t change the wide-eyed awe all over his face as he had watched the Slytherin seeker during his handsome dive.

But the game is won, and the two teams descend slowly down to the grass, where the Captains shake hands and the seekers run to wrap each other in a tight hug. Jongin’s pouting, but still patting Sehun vigorously on the back as congratulations for grabbing the snitch first, even if Slytherin didn’t come out as the winners.

His duties done once the winner is announced, Jongdae hops off his post to run down the tower to the grass, where the Gryffindors are pooling out on in loud choruses of shouting. Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Jongin are already in a circle, arms around each other, quickly dragging Sehun into their group hug just as the Slytherins leave the pitch towards the changerooms. The two older boys pull the seekers in, comforting poor Jongin for his miss, and congratulating Sehun while sympathising with him because of Slytherin’s loss.

And just as Jongdae comes running up to his friends, they notice a boy pushing through the crowd of Gryffindors from the spectator stands to get to them, and the boys whoop in delight.

“Kyungsoo!” Chanyeol yells, eyes wide and smile infectiously bright. “Oh wow, look who miraculously came!! To a quidditch match!”

Sehun pauses hugging Jongdae, head immediately snapping up. He pushes his blonde hair that has begun to fall in front of his face back, jaw slackening. Doh Kyungsoo it is indeed, dressed in all his house colours with a red sweater and scarf, coming up to them from the Gryffindor stands. Shocked into silence, Sehun only watches as the rest of the boys pull Kyungsoo in to the group.

“Jongdae wouldn’t leave me alone,” Kyungsoo tries his best to explain. “Dragged me out of bed--” but he’s drowned out by the cheering of Gryffindors around them, and the victorious laughter of the team as they’re surrounded by proud housemates.

Sehun tries to slip out of the great big tangle of red robes, stepping aside to grab his broom that he had placed on the side to head off towards the change rooms, but stops right in his tracks. Kyungsoo grins, stepping up to him, pushing his glasses up his nose with one finger as his cute nervous habit.

“Good job, catching the snitch,” he laughs, and Sehun swells almost instantly, a sparkle of warm fire trailing down his back. “That was a pretty impressive dive you did back there”

“Still not into quidditch?” Sehun responds instead, smug, flashing a similar grin right back at Kyungsoo as he flips his blonde locks out of his face.

“Just maybe. Maybe I’ll find a reason to get into it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> note: house elves naturally speak with incorrect grammar. It's goblins that have perfect speech, but it's normal for elves to use the wrong tense or words
> 
> New chapters will be posted every Monday and Thursday every week! Follow me on twitter @djjdkim for more content related to this story, and to be up to date with when I post chapters!
> 
> ily ily ily thank you for reading!


	3. revelio (show me your heart)

“Cheers to Gryffindor!”

Sehun glances around, awkwardly raising his cup.

Wrapped up in Chanyeol’s long outer robes that fit him perfectly, considering they are really the only ones that tower so much over everyone else, he really feels like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The boys drink their homemade (by Kyungsoo) lemonade to Gryffindor’s win of the first quidditch match of the year, and it takes a little nudge from Baekhyun for Sehun to drink too, even though he isn’t in Gryffindor, and he didn’t win.

Chanyeol, while lending Sehun his robes, had joked lightly about having “the enemy in their group, hearing all their game tactics”, the poor Slytherin awkwardly looking at his feet even as all his older friends erupt in good-natured chuckles.

“Right in the lion’s den, you are,” Jongin had added, and Sehun can’t really agree more.

Of course, as expected, the Gryffindors are throwing a huge party in Gryffindor Tower, and Sehun had practically been ambushed the moment he came out of the shower rooms and dragged up to the seventh floor. Jongin had insisted that they just can’t do without Sehun there, he’s part of the group and his best friend.

But privately, Jongdae had leaned over to Sehun’s ear while pouring him his cup of lemonade. “Jongin was also worried that you might be upset after the match,” Jongdae had explained, voice low and sounding like audible velvet in Sehun’s ears. “But you are part of the family too, don’t you forget that.”

Kyungsoo had made sure to smack each of them upside their heads with a steely straight face every time any one of them so much as mentions that Sehun’s from the ‘rival house’, and Sehun can’t really help the little tingle sparking at the tips of his fingers and through his chest.

“Shut up,” Kyungsoo had grumbled, shooting each of his friends stern looks, especially Jongdae and Chanyeol, the two best friends joined at the hip. “You’re making him feel more uncomfortable than he is already.”

Even now, as they sit back down after clinking their cups together, Sehun finds himself right next to Kyungsoo, the smaller boy managing a small grin in Sehun’s direction before he’s burying his face in his cup. Baekhyun flops down on the long red couch on Sehun’s other side, and Sehun watches as Chanyeol reaches for a great big jelly snake in the middle of the coffee table between the long couches they recline across. He bites the large hissing head, chewing loudly as he leans back into the squishy back of the couch.

And surprisingly, Sehun finds himself very much comfortable in the Gryffindor common room. Surprising, because it’s everything different to what he is used to. The quiet of the Slytherin common room is contrasting to the particularly loud and hyped Gryffindors, while the dark and shadowed common room under the Great Lake with only green lamps lit along the walls is completely different to this. The fireplace in the corner is ablaze from the number of random things the adrenaline-high Gryffindors have been throwing in it, and the entire place is lit up brilliantly in a golden glow from beacons of light studded everywhere throughout the room.

Sehun doesn’t miss the high hard backs and sleek ebony frames of the chairs in the Slytherin dorms either, he realises as he relaxes into the softness of the big Gryffindor couches that the common room seems to be full of. Squishy seats and sofas, big fluffy pillows and cushions, throw rugs and blankets, everything in different shades of red.

The boys have already started babbling on about the next quidditch match that would be either Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw against Gryffindor, speculating which house they would have to play against next.

Chanyeol bets on Hufflepuff-- or hopes for them at least, since it’ll be such a breeze.

“Either way,” Sehun pipes in, voice small behind his cup as he feels multiple pairs of eyes turn to him. “Neither house would make it too hard for Gryffindor right? No matter if it’s Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff.”

To his surprise, Chanyeol vigorously shakes his head, stray strands of his shiny black hair flopping over his forehead for a moment. “No, no, the Ravenclaw Captain will not make it easy for us.”

Sehun frowns, mind flashing through a sea of faces in an attempt to remember who in the world the Ravenclaw Captain is--

“Kim Minseok,” Chanyeol hums. “We’ll have to be on the watch out for him, he’s the ace of the team.”

“Oh, I’ll definitely be on the watch out for him,” Jongdae adds dreamily, and Chanyeol responds in a quick low giggle. “What?” Jongdae cries defensively at the other boys all peering curiously at him from around their little circle. “Have you never seen the Ravenclaw Captain? He’s stunning!”

Chanyeol nods gravely.

Sehun looks between the two friends, eyebrows furrowing even further on his forehead. He still barely remembers what Kim Minseok looks like, but Baekhyun leans closer to him, taking pity on his confusion.

“Whenever Gryffindor plays against Ravenclaw, Chanyeol is always way too distracted by the Captain and keeper Kim Minseok that he just hovers around staring,” Baekhyun snorts, shaking his head. “It’s a miracle we win at all.”

Kyungsoo reaches forward from his seat next to Sehun to grab some lamington slices from the table, handing one to Sehun.

“Shame all they do is play pranks on him,” Baekhyun continues, sipping his drink again. “Last time on Halloween, they made a great big spider drop right down on Minseok’s head. Maybe it’s their own way of getting his attention, who knows? It’s Chanyeol, and it’s Jongdae,” Kyungsoo laughs in agreement on Sehun’s other side. “You’ll never know with those two.”

“They’re weirdly like twins from a different mother,” Kyungsoo adds through his mouthful, little grin staying intact on his lips despite the chewing. “Maybe Jongin’s adopted.”

Jongin, pink coconut ice halfway in his mouth with coconut flakes all over his lips, pauses and looks absolutely horrified, and Jongdae barks out a loud laugh. “Nah, I’d never want to be brothers with Chanyeol.”

The two of them look up and they share a strange look, before Chanyeol’s snorting. “Yeah,” he agrees easily, a cheeky upwards tug of his lips and glint in his big eyes. “That would be… a little weird.”

  
  


“Sehun!”

The boy turns, eyes widening. Doh Kyungsoo scampers up to him, flustered smile sitting gracefully on his lips, making his eyes shine from behind his glasses under the chandelier of the Entrance Hall. With a few minutes to spare until the end of breakfast, they stand there with their eyes both searching each other’s faces hopefully.

“What’s your first class?” Kyungsoo ends up saying, sucking his thick bottom lip between his teeth.

“History of Magic,” Sehun makes a face. “You?”

“Oh!” Kyungsoo’s eyes absolutely light up, bottom lip slipping out of his mouth with a soft pop, lips rounding in his taken aback surprise. “Defense Against the Dark Arts!”

They got unbelievably lucky. And it’s like they know it, that they can leisurely stroll from the Entrance Hall to their respective classrooms that are just on the first floor. They take all the time in the world, Sehun’s hands in his trousers pockets while Kyungsoo’s hands hang by his side.

Sehun laughs at the idiotic things their friends have done already so early in the morning, at how Kyungsoo sighs heavily just at the thought of Baekhyun whining like a damn dog in his sleep all night long.

They both step over the fake step on the first set of marble staircases, Kyungsoo telling Sehun that the only reason he managed to pass History of Magic all these years is because of Jongdae’s notes that he religiously reads before every exam.

“Surprisingly, History of Magic isn’t his worst subject,” Kyungsoo drawls on, climbing the steps as though his feet are weighed down by lead. Talking to Sehun means he really doesn’t want to get to his Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, and he can’t help but try to think of all the things in the world for them to talk about. Shocking, for someone of such few words. 

“What is his worst class?” Sehun cocks a sharp brow up.

“Divination. Jongdae thinks it’s utter rubbish.” Kyungsoo pauses once they reach the top of the staircase. The corridor branching to the left leads all the way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, while Sehun needs to take the right corridor from this landing to head to History of Magic. “Well,” he mumbles hesitantly, Sehun sighing in response.

“I’ll see you later, Kyungsoo,” the Slytherin pouts, waving as he slowly backs away towards his classroom, and something thuds, loud and heavy, in between Kyungsoo’s rib cages. 

So of course, consequently Kyungsoo barely even hears the professor before all his classmates are getting up from their seats and lining up in the middle of the room. Belatedly, he scrambles to his feet to follow, standing at the end of their group of friends just behind Jongdae. He has absolutely no clue what they’re doing today, why they’re lining up, or what they’re about to face-- he was not paying attention for even a second when they were being given the explanation.

Kyungsoo squints, sticking his head out to look past the line of students that they are towards the end of, and finding them faced with… a closet?

But as soon as a girl steps up to it, the professor taps the closet doors open with his wand and a huge, ugly and downright terrifying clown steps out, and Kyungsoo is hit with the realisation.

“ _ Riddikulus _ ,” the professor is saying, the poor girl biting back real tears as the clown advances, stuttering a “ _ r-r-riddikulus _ ” out from between her trembling lips. The clown suddenly warps, wraps up together into a bundle to become a big floating cloud hanging in the middle of the room.

Kyungsoo swallows.

A boggart. A strange thing that isn’t quite alive but also isn’t exactly dead-- Chanyeol explained the creature as a ‘non-being’, when he first wrote his notes on it in that little leather notebook of his. No one knows what a boggart actually looks like in its real form, because they instantly morph into the appearance of one’s worst fear as soon as you see it. Only one spell will change the appearance of the boggart, into something amusing or harmless, so that it can no longer terrify the person it stands in front of. 

The moment the next student steps up in the line, the boggart shape-shifts again, this time into a microphone as it comes out of the closet. But that isn’t all. The doors of the closet open fully to reveal a view of five dozen faces staring down the student at the front of the line. The Gryffindor boy shakes in his shoes where he stands.

A shiver even runs down Kyungsoo’s own spine, despite watching the boy successfully get rid of the boggart and move to the end of the line. Public speaking, every person’s worst nightmare.

Not Chanyeol’s, apparently.

The moment Chanyeol stepped up to the closet, already trembling in his long cascading Gryffindor robes, the boggart that had been locked into the closet once more is let out in the form of an acromantula.

And Chanyeol screams at the top of his lungs.

“ _ Riddikulus _ ,  _ riddikulus _ , Park!” the Professor barks at him, Chanyeol only attempting to turn around and hide his face in Baekhyun’s much tinier form. But because he is still the one in front of the boggart, the spider only advances more rapidly towards Chanyeol, and the poor boy sobs.

“ _ Riddikulus _ ,” he whimpers, watching as the gigantic thing turns into a tiny pipe-cleaner spider with big googly eyes. Even so, Chanyeol walks off with shudders all down his back, leaving Baekhyun at the front.

And the boggart is a toy spider no more-- no, it has become a ghost. A particularly bloody ghost, where the decapitated head of the ghost follows the rest of the body a step behind as it turns, sets dead unseeing eyes on Baekhyun.

The boy completely freezes in his spot.

Kyungsoo blinks, wide eyed, in complete surprise. A Hogwarts student, afraid of ghosts? The place is crawling with them, Gryffindor House even having Sir Nearly Headless Nick as their own House ghost. And yet, Baekhyun’s face looks as though all the blood is drained out, hand shaking like a pathetic twig as he points his wand at the ghost.

The hovering phantom gliding towards Baekhyun is turned into a big round balloon instead the moment Baekhyun utters the spell, after a few minutes of horrified staring at his worst fear, of course.

And even as Baekhyun runs off towards Chanyeol at the back of the room immediately, eager to get away from the boggart which is sent straight back into the closet, Jongdae steps up, shoulders rolled back and confidence in his relaxed jaw and raised, pointed chin.

Kyungsoo belatedly realises that shit, he’s next after Jongdae, but then the closet doors are opening again.

And out steps the Hogwarts Headmaster. A scroll of parchment is unraveled between his fingers, and he fixes Jongdae with a look of utter disappointment, shaking his head. On the parchment, a big red ‘FAIL’ is stamped in angry letters across the page. The Headmaster was going on about Jongdae failing every single one of his classes, that he will be sent home immediately, that he will never be able to return to Hogwarts, that he shall live life as miserable as a squib-- but then Jongdae’s raising his wand.

“ _ Riddikulus _ ,” the boy’s voice rings out, high and clear as crystal, without a single tremor in it. The expression on the Headmaster’s face changes instantly-- and so do the words on the parchment.

They now say ‘OUTSTANDING’, and the man himself is beaming at Jongdae, who allows a smug smile to curl his kittenish lips at a round of applause from the rest of the class. Kyungsoo doesn’t clap, he knows too well what is coming.

And just as he expected, the boggart is a broom.

The thing moves right up to Kyungsoo, and a flash of panic sets in Kyungsoo’s chest. If the broom is to slot itself between Kyungsoo’s legs and take off with him on it, it will only reenact his least fond memory-- and like that, he shouts an unnecessarily loud “ _ Riddikulus _ !”

He doesn’t expect it to turn into a dustpan and brush, falling pathetically at his feet. He also doesn’t expect to have walked to the back of the classroom to find Jongdae whispering sweet encouragements into Chanyeol’s ear, quietly holding his entire large frame in his arms. Jongdae’s arms are thrown around Chanyeol’s much taller shoulders, needing to stand on his tiptoes to stroke Chanyeol’s head of trembling black hair as he curls slightly into his smaller friend, quivering like a feather.

Kyungsoo only watches, mouth agape, as Jongdae murmurs secret words into Chanyeol’s hair, squeezing him close to him. He shares a look of unconcealed surprise with Baekhyun, who is standing just behind Jongdae-- but the shock doesn’t last too long.

Not with the way Jongdae ceaselessly taunts the tall Gryffindor as the friends make their way to their next classes. Ascending up another set of staircases to the charms classroom, Jongdae leans in towards Chanyeol, constantly imitating his deep voice that cracked as he yelled at the sight of the acromantula.

“Stop it,” Chanyeol tries slapping Jongdae away as though he were an irritating mosquito, to no avail. The boy comes hopping right back, even as they reach their charms classroom. “It wasn’t very funny.”

“Oh but it was,” Jongdae sing-songs.

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun are left to share another bewildered look. Obviously Jongdae would not let Chanyeol live it down, which they knew already. But then who was it that had cradled the shaking Chanyeol against his chest, comforting him through words and feather light touches back there in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom?

Kyungsoo shakes his head, and with it, shakes all confusing thoughts of his two friends out from his head. It’s no use trying to figure out Jongdae and Chanyeol, or he’d have no room left in his head for charms.

  
  


Next time, Kyungsoo’s not so lucky.

But despite the distances, Kyungsoo would always offer to walk Sehun to his class after breakfast-- even if his own class is on the other end of the school. That first taster of spending alone time with Sehun just to leisurely stroll along the corridors was enough, at least for him to know for certain that he wants this more, way more. Wants it enough to sacrifice being late a good ten minutes to herbology, all the way down in the greenhouse in the grounds after having walked Sehun to his charms classroom on the third floor.

He had managed to convince Sehun that he was just going to the library to drop off some books he needed for a potions essay, but really had bolted right off back down the stairs the moment he watched Sehun enter the classroom after giving Kyungsoo one last wave. The staircases had decided to move suddenly, while Kyungsoo was still on it, and he was nearly thrown right off it if he hadn’t grabbed tight onto the railings. Perhaps it was the school’s own way of punishing him for not going to class like he should be, he had thought while stepping off the moment he could, hurriedly running down another set of stairs.

The Herbology professor was not happy, but considering Kyungsoo is such an excellent star student with Herbology all other times, allowed him to sit in his seat with a mere purse of her lips in dissatisfaction. 

“You look like you’ve just gone through the whomping willow to get here,” Chanyeol had whispered, leaning across in his seat to his deskmate, and Kyungsoo tried his best to subtly flatten his short black hair.

 

But seeing Sehun leave the dinner table and head out of the Great Hall is a little different.

No classes, no professors demanding why he’s late, no time ticking between them-- Kyungsoo runs out of the Great Hall, almost running right into the Slytherin, who was fixing his bag strap over his shoulder as he walks.

“Sehun?” Kyungsoo says, slowing down to a walk and plastering a completely fake look of surprise on his face as he catches up to Sehun.

The blonde’s head snaps right up, and almost immediately a smile wide enough to show off rows of perfect gleaming teeth blossoms all over his dainty little face. Kyungsoo feels his kneecaps wobble. “Kyungsoo!” Sehun greets happily, straightening up from where he was looking down at his bag, shaking blonde strands out of his eyes to peer properly at the Gryffindor.

“Fancy seeing you here,” Kyungsoo lies easily through his teeth, eyes dropping to Sehun’s bag strap. And without being invited, he strides right into the Slytherin’s personal space.

He could almost feel Sehun stiffen, as Kyungsoo’s fingers reach out, nimbly working around the strap that had gotten twisted. He glances up through his eyelashes at Sehun, before his gaze drops right back down to the crisp shirt stretched deliciously over Sehun’s ocean-like wide shoulders. It pulls tight over his chest, the Slytherin only wearing his white uniform blouse with his green and silver tie hanging over his front. Kyungsoo clears his throat.

“You were leaving dinner early too?”

“Yeah,” Sehun whispers, having apparently found his voice. “I have a six page long transfiguration essay to write for tomorrow.”

Kyungsoo winces, which coaxes a breathy laugh out of the other boy. He steps back, having untangled Sehun’s bag strap. “Well, good thing I bumped into you, then.”

After some digging, he pulls out a little container of brownies. The exit out of the Great Hall isn’t exactly well-lit, and it isn’t until Sehun holds the container in his hands that he sees the sparse dusting of green and silver edible glitter, and he blinks rapidly up at Kyungsoo, eyes wide and pleasant surprise written all over his features.

“It’s not much,” the Gryffindor says, setting off away from the Great Hall. Sehun takes note of Kyungsoo turning a corner, only meaning they were heading in the direction of the dungeons. “But that should get you through your homework, I hope.”

“Of course!” Sehun exclaims happily, gazing down at the sweets in his large hands. Kyungsoo glances over just in time to catch the indiscreet little smile sitting on Sehun’s thin lips, and his heart knocks loudly on the walls of his chest from deep inside him. “I love your cooking!”

The staircase down to the dungeons is far too close for Kyungsoo’s liking. Though they are already on the ground floor coming out of the Great Hall, it only takes walking through a few corridors for him to stop by the descending stairs, Sehun shyly waving goodbye with the prettiest smile curving his eyes as he heads down to his common room.

Not even a few steps down the stairs and Sehun’s running almost right into seventh year Lee Donghae, hopping up the stairs from the dungeons two at a time. The Slytherin senior pauses, lips stretching out to reveal a big smile. It shows off his canines, and he pulls Sehun into a one-armed hug around the blonde’s shoulders.

“Sehun, my favourite junior,” he croons, and Sehun preens a little bit. Donghae has been nothing but joyful, encouraging and hilarious ever since Sehun had joined the quidditch team, almost like he’d taken the second year right under his wing.

Frankly, Sehun doesn’t know what he’ll do with himself once Donghae graduates next year.

“Still hanging out with that bunch of Gryffindors?” Donghae grins. “Maybe you should have asked the sorting hat to sort you into Gryffindor instead,” he raises an eyebrow, teasing, playful and mischief in his eyes. But Sehun bristles just the slightest anyway.

“My family is a long line of Slytherins-- no way would I ever be a Gryffindor,” Sehun retorts, though quiet, but Dongdae only laughs, shoving Sehun’s shoulders again before letting his arms drop, regarding the younger Slytherin with a curious look on his face.

His long, wavy black hair hangs into his face, which he tilts as he huffs. “You really thought I was serious?” Donghae eventually responds, and to Sehun’s sudden immense relief he really just seems more amused than anything else, as he usually is. “When my boyfriend’s a Gryffindor?”

Sehun pauses. Donghae only flashes him another wicked grin, another pat on the back, before he’s back on his way hurrying up the staircases. And as Sehun looks up, he notices a flash of red robes-- but no, that’s not Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo had left much earlier, as soon as Sehun had descended the stairs.

He recognises the Gryffindor chaser Lee Hyukjae, standing there at the mouth of the staircase, leaning with his back against the railings. And Sehun just watches as Donghae undoubtedly lights up as soon as he gets to the top of the stairs where Hyukjae is waiting, and makes his way over to plant a kiss right onto the Gryffindor senior’s lips. Sehun feels incredibly like he’s been hit in the head by a bludger. 

 

“Jongdae,” Chanyeol whines, low voice rumbling over the sounds of the boys undressing. Jongdae throws a sock in Chanyeol’s direction as a response. “Fuck you-- can I have your history of magic homework?”

“That wasn’t a very nice way to ask someone for a favour.”

“I’m sorry,” Chanyeol pouts, hopping one bed down in their dormitory. He kneels by Jongdae’s bed side, where the smaller boy is pulling on his pyjama shirt. “Can I please have your history of magic homework?”

With one glance at Chanyeol, big eyes blinking innocently at him, plump lips in a pout and shirt completely unbuttoned, Jongdae sighs. He doesn’t have the best resolve, he reflects, getting up to fish through his bag at the foot of his bed for his homework. It’s due the next day, Jongdae had finished it an hour before bedtime and in that time Baekhyun and Kyungsoo had both copied it off him. Chanyeol was too engrossed playing wizard chess with a boy in the year below them, and Jongdae had haughtily sniffed that fine, if Chanyeol doesn’t want his essay then so be it. It’s his loss. And had promptly ignored Chanyeol until this point.

“Oh,” Baekhyun suddenly pipes up, having already stripped out of his uniform and dressed in his pyjamas and snuggled up in his bed at the farthest end of the dorm room. He sits up in bed, turning to look over at his friends. Chanyeol’s happily grabbing the papers from Jongdae, while Kyungsoo is taking the time to arrange his shoes and bag into a neat line at the edge of his bed right by the door.

Kyungsoo and Jongdae wake the earliest, being the two that leave the room together first to wash up. They usually leave Chanyeol and Baekhyun, on the two beds furthest from the door, to sleep in until there’s only half an hour left for breakfast. Only then do they wake them, the two of them getting dressed as quickly as possible, packing their bags to head down for a quick bite of toast before their first class.

Maybe it’s because of that that Chanyeol always seems to have his shirt buttoned up wrong, and that Baekhyun always wears his tie loose-- but then again, Jongdae never does up his tie at all, the ends draped around his neck.

“I remembered something,” Baekhyun says. “I was predicting stuff for you two based on what we learnt in arithmancy today, and there’s a strange triangle between you,” he jerks his chin towards Jongdae and Chanyeol, the two of them stopping what they were doing to stare him down.

Baekhyun may not be the brightest when it comes to theoretical magic within the lot of them, but his fascination for arithmancy, which is actually theoretical and complex and full of intricate calculations, goes above and beyond what his friends expected. It’s all numbers and nothing else-- Baekhyun hates numbers-- but he remains at the top of his class, often reading ahead and predicting future events for his friends even just for fun (a number of times it actually comes true, too).

“There was the promise of love in an enemy, or something,” Baekhyun lets his sleepy eyes drift towards the ceiling over his poster bed in thought. “Except none of us have any enemies. Or was it the word ‘rival’? I didn’t know exactly what it said.”

It takes one second for Chanyeol to scoff, getting back to bending over his trunk next to his bed, coping down Jongdae’s homework.

None of them take arithmancy as their electives, and Jongdae isn’t afraid to remind Baekhyun exactly why he didn't choose that subject.

“Oh come on,” he flicks his black hair back from his forehead. “What rubbish.”

“You’re the only one who’s not absolutely shit at History of Magic,” Baekhyun fires back immediately, considering it’s everyone else’s worst subject except for Jongdae’s. “Your judgement can’t be trusted.”

“Teachers pets in general shouldn’t be trusted,” Chanyeol agrees, handing Jongdae’s parchment back to him, risking getting his head smacked for it.

“It’s not like I try to be a teachers pet,” Jongdae complains far too loudly for the hour, earning him looks from Baekhyun and Chanyeol.

“No, you don’t,” they say, synchronised.

“You come out with perfect marks despite doing the bare minimum,” Baekhyun shoots him a dirty look. “Life is unfair.”

Chanyeol just opens his mouth to respond, before a muffled voice at the front of the room shuts him up.

“Can all of you just shut the fuck up and go to sleep?”

Chanyeol meets Jongdae’s eyes, and they giggle silently as Jongdae puts out the lights in the room.

  
  


Kyungsoo sits back in his chair, giving up.

He couldn’t care less, actually, about his studies. He doesn’t care if he gets awful grades, he only uses his friends’ homework as a good way of managing to pass, but in class he’s either sleeping or just watching everyone else try their hardest (and fail, in Chanyeol’s case).

“ _ Hystrifors _ !” Chanyeol tries again, pointing his wand at his hedgehog. “ _ Hystrifors _ !” It very stubbornly refuses to be turned into a pincushion. 

The hedgehog inches towards Chanyeol’s other hand, resting on the edge of the wooden desk, nosing into his palm, spines digging slightly into skin and little black nose twitching. Chanyeol chokes on a sob.

“You won’t be able to get the spell to cooperate if you don’t even want to do it, you know,” Jongdae tries helpfully from next to Chanyeol, eyeing the way Chanyeol just coos and scoops up the hedgehog in his gigantic hands, completely disregarding the spikes. A perfectly shaped pincushion sits on the desktop in front of Jongdae.

“But how can I?” Chanyeol cries, touching his nose to the snout of his new little friend. He cradles it close to his chest, turning his pout on Jongdae. “He’s so cute!”

“Chanyeol, you can’t make friends with every single creature ever,” Jongdae sighs. Chanyeol’s always trying too hard to befriend every animal, and just thinking about the time Chanyeol wanted to give a warm greeting to the giant squid that lives in the Great Lake just outside of Hogwarts gives Jongdae chills. That would have ended quite unfortunately, if Jongdae and the others weren’t there. “Have you forgotten how befriending the blast-ended skrewt ended?”

Chanyeol pauses, pout deepening. “But this isn’t a blast-ended skrewt…” he mumbles sadly, gazing down on his spiky friend.

“Good lord, you’re going to get yourself killed one day trying to have a conversation with a dragon or something,” Jongdae sighs. “You know that you can turn them back once transfigured, right?” He shuffles closer to Chanyeol. “At least this one likes you already. It’s easier to do when they trust you and are willing.”

Kyungsoo watches in mild interest from the table right behind them that he shares with Baekhyun (who is waving his wand with no success), as Jongdae reaches over, patiently taking Chanyeol’s hand in his own as he shows him the wand movement.

This time, when Chanyeol says “ _ hystrifors _ ”, the hedgehog stiffens, fur and skin turning into cloth, and spikes turning into pins. The tall boy lets out a sound of both satisfaction and distress at the same time.

Baekhyun pokes Jongdae in the back from his seat next to Kyungsoo. “How do you do it, Dae?” he asks, and Jongdae turns around in his chair to face the two of them.

Jongdae himself had only needed one try to get the difficult transfiguration right, almost the minute after the professor had finished his demonstration. The wizard had exclaimed at Jongdae’s proficiency, the boy glowing in his seat when the professor pointed him out to the rest of the class.

“Do you want a hand too, Kyungsoo?”

“Nah,” Kyungsoo shrugs. “It’s whatever for me.”

And poor Chanyeol, who always sits next to Jongdae in transfiguration, is always compared with him because he really just can’t get it right.

“Mr Doh,” the transfiguration professor stops at his desk raising an eyebrow. He had only just stopped by Jongdae and Chanyeol’s table, this time nodding impressed at the two pincushions sitting obediently in front of them. “Are you not going to practice the spell? Or have you mastered it already?”

Already, Chanyeol’s bugging Jongdae with how to turn the pincushions back into hedgehogs, hoping that his hedgehog isn’t too upset with him.

“I’ve given up, Sir,” Kyungsoo replies truthfully, only to get a light smack on the head with the professor’s textbook in hand as he sweeps past.

“I want your hedgehog cushion-y and impaled by pins by the end of this class.”

Kyungsoo sighs. “Jongdae,” he whispers. “I might need a hand after all.”

 

“Ahhhh!” Jongdae mock screams, lowering his voice. “It’s a spider!  _ R-Riddik-k-kulus _ !”

Again, he imitates the crack in Chanyeol’s voice from his yelling at the acromantula his boggart turned into, cracking up as Chanyeol turns to him, jaw clenched and fist balled. Chanyeol had jumped when Baekhyun noticed a spider on his shoulder as they walked to class, immediately stopping in the hallway with a terrified roar, ripping off his outer robes to throw it in a heap on the carpeted floor. Jongdae had snorted, beginning to imitate the way Chanyeol had screamed at his boggart during Defense Against the Dark Arts before.

“I told you to stop it!” Chanyeol fumes, pointing a finger dangerously close to Jongdae’s nose. “Kim Jongdae!”

Jongdae just sticks his tongue out at him, telling him to hurry up or they’ll be late. Chanyeol tentatively picks up his robes, checking for the spider, before dropping it again. He whines pitifully through his nose at the stubborn spider still hanging on, much to Jongdae’s endless amusement.

And perhaps Jongdae really should not have been so ruthless in his teasing.

Kyungsoo had been sitting in an armchair by a fireplace in the study area on the fourth floor. The textbook on magical herbs and plants his herbology professor kindly lent him is fascinating, and he had his attention focused solely on the paragraphs and paragraphs, pages and pages of plants-- at least until Jongdae comes storming in.

“PARK CHANYEOL!” Jongdae screams, narrowed brown eyes immediately zero-ing in on his target, who is currently playing exploding snap with Baekhyun. Distracted, Chanyeol looks up, pausing, and the deck of cards explodes right in his face, Baekhyun jumping back onto the couch and coughing.

But Jongdae strides forward, stack of papers in hand.

“What the fuck have you done to my essay?” he demands, and an absolutely devilish grin forms on Chanyeol’s plump lips.

The boy takes one look at Jongdae’s parchment, immediately looking confused. “Your essay? Those are just blank pieces of parchment, though.”

“That’s because you turned it invisible!” Jongdae shrieks. “You turned the ink I used on my essay that I spent three whole days on into invisible ink, you piece of shit!”

Chanyeol’s eyes widen, and he whistles. “Impressive.”

“Impressive my ass, how childish can you get?” Jongdae shoves his handful of now unfortunately blank parchment into his friend’s face, looking absolutely murderous. “Turn it back! Now!”

Chanyeol lifts his chin, defiance in his glinting eyes and smirk on his lips. “And what will you do if I don’t? What will you do if I do?”

Jongdae pulls his wand out of his pocket, jaw clenching. “Stop playing fucking games, turn it back!”

“Or what?” Chanyeol presses. “Or you’ll spank me?”

“You fucking wish,” Jongdae spits. “I’m not kidding, Park Chanyeol, you better turn it back the way it was right this instant.”

“Wow,” Chanyeol grins. “Actually something that the great transfiguration genius Kim Jongdae doesn’t know.”

It takes Jongdae moving his wand closer to Chanyeol’s face, the boy still resolutely staring up at him, that Jongdae pulls back, horror written all over his face.

“Don’t tell me you don’t know how,” he mutters, and Chanyeol’s smirk that turns into a sheepish smile says it all. “You don’t fucking know how to turn it back?!”

And with his exclaim Jongdae dives onto the couch, straddling Chanyeol’s lap as his hands find Chanyeol’s neck.

He shakes Chanyeol, not squeezing enough to choke, but having a firm enough grip on Chanyeol’s neck that it takes the taller boy completely by surprise. He coughs, eyes wide as he stares up unblinking at Jongdae, and Kyungsoo sighs.

“Can the two of you please keep your kinks in the bedroom?” he complains, before groaning. He’d forgotten they all share one room. 

Sehun, who had been sitting with them, next to the couches that Chanyeol and Baekhyun had been playing the cards on, glances between them, eyes wide. The fourth floor is not only the coziest place with it’s fireplace to meet up, but it’s also the easiest. The passageway behind the bookshelf leads right up to the seventh floor and the Gryffindor tower, while there’s a steep staircase on the other side of the room that Sehun can travel by that descends a few floors. It’s the reason why it’s their spot now, why they choose this room to meet up with their favourite Slytherin so often. And Kyungsoo insists on inviting Sehun every time, despite him never getting anything done when Sehun’s in the same room.

He’s always awfully unproductive, preferring to steal glances at a handsome side profile, listening to his own heart thud pathetically in his chest at the mere sight of Sehun’s straight nose and sharp chin. It makes his fingers twitch, itching to touch any part of the Slytherin, but all he can do is grip his quill tighter. And the one day he had actually been focused on his textbook despite Sehun’s presence, Jongdae and Chanyeol decide to ruin studying for everyone.

The other few students in the room are all looking over at the commotion, silent stares at the two Gryffindors on the couch, and Kyungsoo leans in his armchair, closer towards Sehun.

“The two of them have something going on between them.” The poor thing looked so confused, that Kyungsoo took the liberty to whisper in his ear an explanation as well as he could. “We don’t exactly know the details either, and I don’t think I want to know,” Kyungsoo says, before Baekhyun’s turning around, nodding.

“But we’ve known something fishy was happening,” Baekhyun adds, voice low. “Between Jongdae and Chanyeol, that is. They never mentioned it to us though, so we didn’t either.”

  
  
  
  


Chanyeol has almost been sleeping with his eyes open.

Though Jongdae managed to finally find the fix for his unfortunate essay after hours and hours, days and days perusing textbooks in the library, it doesn’t mean Chanyeol is spared. Kyungsoo pointed out that in the time it took Jongdae to find a way to turn his invisible essay back he could’ve written two more essays, but Jongdae was determined to outdo Chanyeol, and undo Chanyeol’s jinx.

And the best way to outdo Chanyeol, as Jongdae decides, is to jinx him right back.

He’s been eyeing Chanyeol sitting with a Gryffindor girl in their grade during charms, the two of them sharing a table, leaving Jongdae, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo to take the three-seater in the middle of the classroom. And he’s staring as Chanyeol leans in infinitesimally, quietly chatting to the girl undoubtedly about Care of Magical Creatures.

None of his other friends take that elective, and Chanyeol is absolutely obsessed with it, his love for magical creatures meaning he’s always talking to his classmates about it-- even during other classes, it seems. And still talking, despite the fact that Chanyeol has a naturally loud voice, even when he’s trying to whisper.

So Jongdae, sitting in the middle of their shared desk, pulls his wand out from the sleeve of his robes, pointing past Baekhyun at Chanyeol a few metres away.

And suddenly, Chanyeol’s deep rumbling voice fills the entire room.

“--But then I told him that we’re just f-- what the fuck,” Chanyeol’s hushed train of words comes to a halt, eyes going comically wide, head swivelling around as he realises. The girl sitting next to him is covering her ears with her hands, and the entire classroom of students and professor all have their eyes trained on him.

Chanyeol splutters, going very quickly red under the surprised looks from all around him.

“Mr Park?” The professor raises a sharp brow. “Something you want to say, it seems?”

“No?” Chanyeol’s voice is booming, loudened significantly to be blasted out of his mouth, the charm acting like a microphone. And how does Jongdae know it? It’s been used on him countless times before, for quidditch commentating. “I don’t know what happened, I didn’t do anything--”

“Ten points from Gryffindor, for talking during my class.” The professor says with a click of his tongue, peering down at Chanyeol through thin glasses. “And a further ten points from Gryffindor, for disrupting the class with your silly tricks and jokes.”

“Shit,” Chanyeol tries to swear under his breath, except the entire class hears it, and probably even anyone out in the hallway or in other adjacent classrooms. The charm is very good at what it does.

“Another ten points from Gryffindor for use of inappropriate language.”

Chanyeol clamps his mouth shut.

 

Unfortunately the professor decides that letting Chanyeol deal with the charm for the rest of the day is a suitable punishment for fooling around, and it really does last all day-- all throughout lunch and dinner and all their other classes, during which Chanyeol stayed perfectly silent, for once.

“Mr Park,” The potions master had raised a brow as they all stir their respective potions. “You normally have a lot to say. Cat got your tongue?”

The only thing Chanyeol managed to do was smile, nod, and go right back to brewing. He refused to answer any questions, much to the confusion of all their professors and other classmates. And unbeknownst to his friends, the poor boy had sat in sulky silence during Care of Magical Creatures, whenever the professor asked a question and he definitely knew the answer. But all he did was sit in the corner, itching to answer, itching to just blurt it out and deafen everyone in the vicinity, because he knows the answer, and knows the professor is concerned that he’s not participating in his favourite class. But he can’t have like the whole school hearing every single thing he says.

That resolves fizzes into thin air pretty easily, if Jongdae tries to crack it open.

Their one shared break after lunch, when Kyungsoo and Baekhyun are at their ancient runes and arithmancy classes respectively in that time slot, finds Jongdae and Chanyeol in the library-- but not studying. Far from it.

Jongdae has Chanyeol’s back pressed against the cold metal of the edge of a bookshelf spine, up in his space, sweeping Chanyeol’s mouth with his tongue.

They’re hidden enough, at the end of a dimmer aisle on the subject of wand woods, which literally no one ever looks at. There are shelves full of old, fading book spines towering around them, perfectly obscuring them from view.

Chanyeol, helpless at the movements of Jongdae’s tongue and lips, only slumps completely defenceless against the shelf, eyes squeezed shut-- lost in the pressing of Jongdae’s fingertips just under his terribly buttoned school shirt, lost in the way Jongdae sucks on his bottom lip, lost in the hot breaths and heat of Jongdae’s mouth. There’s nothing but a sinking feeling, leaving Chanyeol and all his long limbs completely limp, completely yielding to Jongdae and his touches, his kisses.

Jongdae’s insistent mouth moving in this urgent way that Chanyeol isn’t sure he’s ever experienced yet (it’s always a little different every time) knocks a wash of giddiness down Chanyeol’s body, ignites a full-body shudder down his nerves, and draws out a breathy moan from his lips.

But alas, despite being hidden, what would have been a quiet noise of pleasure that Jongdae could have easily swallowed down, ended up being magnified until the entire library rang with Chanyeol’s little breathy sighs against Jongdae’s lips.

Jongdae pulls back, one hand still resting on a sliver of heated skin under Chanyeol’s shirt and the other hand’s fingers digging into the thick hair at the back of Chanyeol’s head. And when he lifts his eyes, long and dark eyelashes shifting with the movement of his eyelids, he smirks smugly at Chanyeol before withdrawing his hands, leaving the other boy trying to remember the way Jongdae touched him.

But then the librarian is storming around the corner, finding the two of them standing at the end of the aisle. And Chanyeol’s face, cheeks, ears and neck, everything is a bright red, because in a shrill voice, she tells them off for being far too loud and verbally kicking them out of the library.

As soon as the two boys are a few steps away from the library, Chanyeol turns on Jongdae.

“You!” he hisses angrily, only to slap his own palm over his mouth. The word echoes around the corridor, portraits in the painting frames covering their ears.

Jongdae grins at him again, leaning closer to Chanyeol. His usual smile, that Chanyeol normally deems oh-so-sweet, is everything but. It’s smug, satisfied, proud, devilish curls of the corners of Jongdae’s lips.

Chanyeol can only swallow down all his protests-- as well as his whines that it just isn’t fair how put-together Jongdae still looks. Granted, his tie is always hanging undone around his neck, but his collar is perfectly straight, and his robes are completely unruffled.

Chanyeol, on the other hand, has hair sticking up all over the place from Jongdae pulling him in closer by the hair, uniform wrinkled and askew from Jongdae sticking his hand under it to get to skin. He pouts, and silently watches as Jongdae’s Cheshire grin just widens knowingly and looking very, very pleased.

 

And Chanyeol doesn’t retaliate, only because Jongdae had finally lost his anger that he somehow had towards Chanyeol. (Waking up the next morning with his voice at normal volume again was so rewarding.)

He’s still completely clueless why Jongdae was so upset as to jinx him with a spell that lasted all day, and Jongdae refused to explain-- so revenge would only move them back by a few steps again.

So Chanyeol takes it out elsewhere.

“Did you do something to your hair, ‘Soo?” Chanyeol asks at breakfast, tilting his head and regarding Kyungsoo with a curious little scrunch of his brows. 

“I brushed it?” Kyungsoo mutters back, spooning eggs onto his plate. “What are you on about this early in the morning?”

“I don’t know,” Chanyeol hums, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice. “Something about you looks a little different, that’s all.”

There’s a little knowing smile sitting on Jongdae’s face, which is quickly hidden as he shoves bread in his mouth. Baekhyun is left to only looking between them, appearing more and more confused.

That ‘something’ that makes Kyungsoo look different is pointed out by none other than Oh Sehun.

And the moment Sehun mentions it, that “why do you look… a little shorter than usual?” it all hits Kyungsoo. How it was harder than usual to reach the butter across the table at breakfast for his toast, how he couldn’t see even over Jongdae’s head during transfiguration and Jongdae shouldn’t be that much taller than him, how he couldn’t reach the top shelf in the potions storeroom when the professor asked him to grab extra supplies, how he found it hard to hop up onto the stool in the kitchens a few minutes ago tonight.

He curses, startling Sehun. It’s been a whole day and only now does Kyungsoo realise that Park fucking Chanyeol  _ shrunk  _ him.

So the very next day finds Kyungsoo holding Chanyeol’s broomstick, his beloved Firebolt 134-- the newest edition that he just recently got for his birthday-- at wand point, threatening to set it on fire if Chanyeol doesn’t turn him back to his normal height.

“Gee, ‘Soo,” Chanyeol had tried. “I didn’t think you’d notice, you’re already short enough.”

Kyungsoo moves his wand closer to the broomstick.

“‘Soo,” Chanyeol bites his bottom lip, eyes widening and tone changing immediately. “Please, not when the next quidditch match is so close!”

Kyungsoo raises his heavy brows. “And what makes you think I care about quidditch? You can lose your precious flying mechanism for all I care.”

Chanyeol knows, Chanyeol must know, that Kyungsoo never means it, but he grovels at his friend’s feet anyway, immediately turning him back to his normal, slightly taller height. Learning from his mistake with Jongdae means that Chanyeol made sure to do his research, to know the fix to his spells, and thank the Lord he did. He can’t risk losing his broom.

Even though it’s just Gryffindor’s match against Hufflepuff, quidditch is significant enough for them to still feel the pounding of their hearts, the way each player’s knuckles tighten over the wood of their brooms, Chanyeol forever grateful that Kyungsoo didn’t end up destroying it.

This time, it’s Sehun that managed to rope Kyungsoo into coming to the match, even though they would sit on opposite ends of the stands. With his hopeful gaze at Kyungsoo under his eyelashes, bottom lip sucked between his teeth and quiet words, Kyungsoo had swallowed thickly, knowing that he is at the mercy of this boy. It took everything in the world for Kyungsoo to not flush all over his face, only nodding and agreeing-- but when Sehun’s entire face lit up, eyes disappearing into his sparkling smile, Kyungsoo wasn’t so sure he could keep his blood from rushing to his face or stop his heart from missing a good four beats.

And he regrets his non-existent resolve during the game, because this time he has no blonde seeker to ogle from hundreds of feet down on the stands. Sehun flew absolutely beautifully, and the wind pushed his wisps of blonde hair away from his forehead to expose brows furrowed in concentration when he chased up the snitch. But now, with Gryffindor against Hufflepuff, Kyungsoo only slumps in his seat with a little pout.

It doesn’t help that Jongdae keeps screaming “YES BABE, GET THEM!” at Chanyeol whenever the beater manages a successful shot of the bludger towards a Hufflepuff player. He managed to actually hit Zhang Yixing, a Hufflepuff chaser, square on the leg with a bludger when he was carrying the quaffle towards the Gryffindor goal.

With a pained, shocked yell, Zhang had dropped the quaffle-- which landed right in Baekhyun’s hands, who was directly underneath the Hufflepuff. And he was immediately off with it, leaving Zhang looking both very sore and very dumbfounded.

It also certainly doesn’t help that Chanyeol doesn’t stop zooming past the commentator’s stand, throwing winks right back at Jongdae. Kyungsoo crinkles his nose in disgust.

“Weren’t you a bit too distracted even during the actual game?” Kyungsoo points out, now that Gryffindor earned their easy win, and Choi Siwon is proudly raising the trophy over their heads in the Gryffindor common room.

“Told you, Hufflepuff isn’t that hard,” Chanyeol scoffs right back, shoving a whole cauldron cake into his mouth. Kyungsoo makes a face in disgust, again. “There was no way Gryffindor wouldn’t win that match,” he tries saying with his mouth full, successfully spitting bits of cake all over Kyungsoo who clamps a hand over Chanyeol’s mouth.

“Dear God please stop talking, you’re filthy,” Kyungsoo groans.

  
  


“Excellent, Mr Doh. I see your potion is already turning orange. Wonderful.”

Kyungsoo glows.

He’s really only so good at potions because he’s so interested in cooking, it’s basically the same thing for him. You dump things into a cauldron, you brew it, and you either come out with some sort of draught or you come out with a stew or soup. Basically the same thing.

Kyungsoo stirs the slowly brightening liquid in his bubbling cauldron again with his ladle, peering down at the orange-y mixture. It’s meant to be felix felicis, the lucky potion, and at this stage it’s meant to turn from green to orange if you stir it clockwise slowly after adding in ground up occamy egg shells. He grins, pleased, heating up his cauldron as he continues slowly stirring.

All of a sudden there’s a loud bang from the table next to Kyungsoo’s, and the entire classroom of people jump. Chanyeol’s looking down in stunned silence at his completely blackened, exploded potion, a giant hole in the side of his cauldron, and black smears and splatters all over his face.

But it’s Baekhyun, Chanyeol’s seat mate, who raises his voice in protest. Chanyeol’s potion exploding in his face sprayed right into Baekhyun’s cauldron next to him, ruining his friend’s potion too. Kyungsoo only chuckles under his breath as the potions master hurries over to their table, at Chanyeol’s mess and Baekhyun furiously trying to save his own potion to no avail.

Clearly, Chanyeol is incapable at following instructions. Kyungsoo shakes his head. He bets Chanyeol stirred too quickly after adding thyme when the potions book clearly says stir slowly. Instead of turning from green to orange, it turned black, and Chanyeol should’ve stopped stirring altogether then if he didn’t want it exploding, but alas. With another amused shake of his head, Kyungsoo turns back to his own potion, now a beautiful sunny yellow, becoming lighter colours as it should.

Only now does he add a sprinkle of powdered common rue, beginning to stir faster.

Making this potion is the one time the potions master allows wands in the classroom.

Kyungsoo pulls his wand out from the sleeves of his robes, waving it in a figure of eight movement over the top of his simmering concoction. “ _ Felixempra _ ,” he says, surely, confidently, easily.

And he only has to stand back to watch as the potion in the cauldron changes colour one last time, from a bright yellow into a glittering pot of liquid gold. 

“And here we have liquid luck, brewed to perfection it seems by Doh,” the potions master calls, rounding over to stand in front of their table, leaning down to peer into Kyungsoo’s cauldron of molten gold. “Delightful,” he adds, as little droplets of shimmering liquid leap from the surface, splashing about merrily.

He takes one look at Jongdae, right next to Kyungsoo, and the smile drops off his face.

“And Mr Kim, what on Earth have you done to your felix felicis?”

Jongdae stands back from his cauldron, looking both confused and guilty as the professor looks down at his work. Kyungsoo, too, glances over at his seatmate, and scrunches up his nose. What’s meant to be Jongdae’s felix felicis potion of luck is an awful, deep purple in colour instead of gold, bubbling ominously at the surface instead of droplets splashing away.

“Uh,” Jongdae frowns, shrugging. “I don’t know, professor.”

“Stirred too slow, you did,” the potions master straightens up. “You needed to have stirred vigorously after adding your rue, then you must heat it.” Jongdae’s mouth forms an o. “Failing to do either of those things, and especially if you still did the incantation at the end, may very well make you the potion of bad luck instead.”

Kyungsoo snorts. Jongdae groans.

“At least you made something,” Chanyeol supplies helpfully from the adjacent table.

The professor gives Jongdae a sharp look, eyebrow raised, pointing at the problematic purple potion. “I theorise that is what you achieved, and your potion may give you extreme bad luck. Mr Doh,” he briefly turns to look at Kyungsoo. “I suggest you try out your potion to see if you achieved its desired effects. A small flask of your potion should give you an entire perfect day. Mr Kim, you are welcome to try yours too, to see if you have indeed made the draught of misfortune, but be careful with it.”

The moment the professor walks away, Jongdae turns to Kyungsoo. “Who the fuck would try something that gives them bad luck?” he hisses under his breath, and Kyungsoo cracks a smile. “He’s mad.”

Regardless of whether Jongdae’s going to try his potion, Kyungsoo does, first thing at breakfast. He pulls out a small glass flask from the pockets on the inside of his red robes, and his friends around the Gryffindor table stop eating momentarily to watch in undisguised curiosity as Kyungsoo casually brings it out.

“Something special today?” Baekhyun asks, drinking from his goblet. “Why are you looking for luck?”

Kyungsoo shrugs, uncapping the flask and pouring his beautiful golden liquid into his pumpkin juice. “No particular reason.”

He hides his white lie behind the rim of his goblet as he raises it to his lips, finishing all his juice in a few long drinks. He licks his lips, staring right back at the three pairs of eyes that peer at him.

“What?” he raises his eyebrows. “It’s not like it’s amortentia, quit your staring.”

And he goes on his day as normal. Just preoccupied.

The potions master had mentioned liquid luck giving the drinker a perfect day if you drink a whole flask-- and Kyungsoo doesn’t doubt that at all.

Their very first class and it’s a pop quiz in Defence Against the Dark Arts. Kyungsoo curses under his breath that shit, he totally forgot about it the night before and totally didn’t study as he is given the paper. He looks down, eyes skimming through the questions already. He just happens to be sitting at the front of the room at a single table, seats rearranged for the quiz, but then the professor proclaims that one question needs to be changed, and they would have it tomorrow morning instead. Kyungsoo only hides a grin behind his hand as the paper is then taken away from him, but no matter-- he’d seen the questions already.

On the other hand, during Kyungsoo and Baekhyun’s Ancient Runes class, they do have a pop quiz-- but the very first second Kyungsoo looks at the paper his eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. All the questions are from the two chapters of the runes textbook he happened to glance over yesterday, still fresh in his head. And for the very first time in this class, the scratching of his quill on parchment is confident, and he passes his quiz to the front of the classroom with a satisfied upturn of his lips. (Baekhyun doesn’t seem nearly as pleased, though.)

Lunch was his favourite spaghetti, the baby Devil’s Snare plants he’s been hoping will sprout in the greenhouse have finally sprouted this morning according to his herbology professor, and for once the astronomy professor doesn’t pick on Kyungsoo to read a passage from the textbook during theory class.

But Kyungsoo is, undeniably, preoccupied.

One thing has gone against him all day. He hasn’t seen a single blonde hair of Sehun’s all day long.

He had imagined what he would say, tossed and turned in bed the night before, thinking about taking the felix felicis to approach Sehun, talk to him, give him a few suggestive looks-- but the Slytherin boy was nowhere to be seen. And even though Kyungsoo does spy him at the Slytherin table during dinner, he’s talking to a seventh year boy, asking him questions he must be stuck on for homework, and looking too engrossed in conversation to even glance over at the Gryffindor table. Kyungsoo scowls.

Though dinner was delicious, Kyungsoo crawls into his sheets extremely disappointed, even though the potion is still working and Baekhyun isn’t even making sounds in his sleep tonight. He sighs, rolling over onto his side, pouting to himself in the dark so none of his friends can see and tease him for it.

A day without Oh Sehun-- he’d hardly call it a lucky day.

But the pout dissipates off his face, and though downcast, he can’t deny still being gleeful that Jongdae had such an absolutely shit day.

Jongdae, who had watched Kyungsoo drink his potion at breakfast, actually took out his own horrendous purple liquid, and poured it in his own drink. He flashed Kyungsoo a look when Kyungsoo imitated “who the fuck would try something that gives them bad luck?”, quietly downing his spiked pumpkin juice.

“I’m curious,” Jongdae argued. “I just want to see if the professor was right about it being bad luck.” Or, more specifically, he wants to prove the potions master wrong.

He certainly got his answer. Jongdae was that one student that groaned in response to the professor declaring that the quiz will be the next day instead in Defense Against the Dark Arts, eyebrows pulled up in the middle and voice raised by a few pitches in a whine.

“But I actually studied for it last night,” he had muttered to Chanyeol on the table next to him, who was not sympathetic in the slightest.

He fell asleep in History of Magic too, and on top of that the professor took points off Gryffindor when Jongdae couldn’t answer his question once awakened again. He’d cursed under his breath, which was heard by the professor, and a further ten points were taken again.

Right before lunch, Jongdae was dragged off to the headmaster’s office, and brutally blamed for a prank that he certainly did not execute in the girl’s lavatory on the second floor. Jongdae’s protests that he would never even step foot in the girl’s bathroom fell on deaf ears, and he could only sigh as he’s given detention immediately after dinner with the caretaker, again.

But amongst it all, it was when Jongdae was rushing to divination after lunch that was the absolute worst.

He’d taken the long route through the castle, going to the bathroom first by himself and letting his friends go on without him-- which was a mistake. Rounding a corner, he nearly bulldozed right into a small Ravenclaw, who certainly did not feel as small as he looked.

Jongdae crashed into him, fell flat on his face, books and notes and quills scattered everywhere on the black carpet. And only then did he look up, and eyes widened as he recognised Kim Minseok with a jolt of pure panic.

He scrambled for his wand from the inner pocket of his robes, trying an “ _ accio _ ” to summon all the things he’d dropped right in front of Minseok, having made an absolute mess of himself, except there was a catch. Jongdae had accidentally summoned Minseok with his spell instead of all his stationery, the Ravenclaw senior being pulled right into his arms, chest up against his own.

Jongdae had squeaked in wide eyed, embarrassed, horrified alarm, absolutely as red as a tomato. He’d clearly forgotten his usual suave and cool persona back in his dormitory that morning when he decided to take his bloody potion, and he’d muttered quick, awkward apologies as he freed the two of them from each other. 

And hence, Jongdae found himself a good thirty minutes late to divination as well, bursting in through the trap door, still flushed all over his face and ears, his bag messy and holding all his papers and books in his hands with how quick he tried to escape the scene. The divination professor had tutted at him, taking points off Gryffindor yet again.

“Oh,” she had moaned, as she later peered into Jongdae’s cup, turning it this way and that. He only watched skeptically as she studied his tea leaves left at the bottom of his cup after drinking his tea. “Bad luck for you, Kim. Extreme bad luck.”

Jongdae only rolled his eyes.


	4. stupefy (you stun me)

A maniac cackling fills the air, and students whip their heads around. The shimmering see-through figure of Peeves, the poltergeist, swoops through the wall, travelling lazily down the transfiguration corridor over the heads of living people.

“What is this I just heard?” he singsongs, mock gasping as he twirls in the air. “What is this about Byun Baekhyun from Gryffindor having a teeny-weeny, itty-bitty crush?”

He cackles again, swooping higher up in the air, before shouting at the top of his lungs.

“GRYFFINDOR BYUN HAS A CRUSH ON RAVENCLAW KIM MINSEOK! THE RAVENCLAW CAPTAIN!”

Needless to say, the rumour spread like absolute wildfire, and Baekhyun was beyond horrified.

“Jongdae!” he hisses, the moment he notices students whispering amongst themselves at the Gryffindor table at lunch. “What the fuck have you done??”

Jongdae shoots him a cheeky glance from over the top of his goblet  that he had raised to his lips, blinking at Baekhyun. “Well, technically it was Peeves who did all of it.”

“You really think I don’t know that it was you who told Peeves to do it?” Baekhyun rolls his eyes, and Jongdae flashes him a grin once he places his goblet down, swallowing.

“You seem to always know what to expect everytime I try to prank you,” Jongdae chortles. “Did I finally get you with this one?”

“This isn’t just a prank,” Baekhyun whisper-shouts, their other two friends glancing between them. “Is this about you completely embarrassing yourself in front of Minseok the other day? Is this you trying to divert his attention away from yourself and blame it on me?”

“Well,” Jongdae mutters after a stretch of complete silence that hung over their area of the Gryffindor table. “I also just happened to remember that it’s been a while since you’ve been the target of a prank…”

Baekhyun closes his eyes, slowly exhaling a breath and raising a hand to bury his face into. He ignores Jongdae’s guilty chuckling, rubbing his hand up and down one side of his face. Kyungsoo even shoots him a look though Baekhyun doesn’t notice it. It’s no secret that Jongdae is strangely close to Peeves, that Jongdae may very well be the only person that Peeves listens to on occasion. They work together in miraculous ways, especially when they both benefit from it-- and especially when they share interests in making fun of other students and even teachers. However, it’s no secret that Baekhyun likes boys, either-- even the headmaster of Hogwarts is probably in on it (and really, boys tend to like Baekhyun too).

But the thing is, it’s also no secret that it isn’t Baekhyun that has a crush on Minseok.

Baekhyun groans into his palm at the whispers that travel up and down the Gryffindor table, at the whispers that would surely be rippling through all three other houses by now as well-- but despite all this, it seems like Jongdae still isn’t done.

And Jongdae’s so-called ‘prank’ rolls into action a few days later, in the middle of breakfast.

The entire Ravenclaw table turns dead silent as an ominous red letter flutters its way over to the sixth years down the end of the table… towards a certain Kim Minseok.

Baekhyun, sitting next to Chanyeol at the adjacent Gryffindor table, nudges him with an elbow.

“Kim Minseok got a Howler,” he whispers, and Jongdae and Kyungsoo sitting opposite them at the table both turn to search for the Ravenclaw Captain amongst a sea of blue. 

“Why is everyone getting Howlers?” Kyungsoo says mindlessly, glancing at Jongdae. “You only got yours a few mornings ago. What coincidence.”

Chanyeol’s eyes slip over, glancing back at Jongdae for a moment, losing focus on Minseok staring down in mild shock at the red envelope, smoking at the edges and resting innocently on his toast. “Or is it?” Chanyeol adds after a pause, and Kyungsoo whips his head over to look at the tall boy, eyes widened.

Jongdae, a few days ago, had nearly choked when his owl Lo (Lorenzo the Magnificent, actually, but no one uses the awful name Jongdae insisted on calling him in first year) swooped past the Gryffindor breakfast table, dropping a bright red and smouldering letter right onto Jongdae’s plate of eggs.

It had begun shaking, burning the eggs underneath, and Chanyeol had urged Jongdae to open it in fear of the Howler exploding on them-- and as soon as he did flip open the edge of the red envelope, a booming voice echoed through the Great Hall, and buffeted Jongdae back.

“KIM JONGDAE!” the letter had shrieked in what was undoubtedly Jongdae’s mother’s voice, a hundred times louder than what should be her usual volume. Jongin, who had been a few seats down on the Gryffindor table, jumped about a foot into the air. “YOU ABSOLUTE DISGRACE!”

Kyungsoo’s eyes had been comically wide, Chanyeol cowered against the tall back of their seats, and Baekhyun’s lower jaw dropped as the entire student body sat and listened to Jongdae’s mother completely derailing him.

“YOU KEEP YOUR ASS IN LINE, YOUNG MAN, AND IF I HEAR ANOTHER WORD ABOUT YOU CAUSING HAVOC YOU CAN COME STRAIGHT HOME!” Was the last thing the envelope screamed out, before self-destruction, burnt out on Jongdae’s eggs. The boy had released a long breath that he had held in the silence of the Great Hall, chanced a look down the Gryffindor table to meet terrified gazes with his younger brother.

He had turned to Chanyeol, wondered aloud whether his bad luck is still continuing, perhaps? It was even worse that he noticed Kim Minseok had looked over from the Ravenclaw table, and Jongdae had groaned, burying his face in his hands in complete utter humiliation.

But this time is a little different.

This morning, it’s Jongdae who peers over at the Ravenclaw table, curiously looking on as Minseok fumbles with the edge of what must be his first ever Howler.

A Ravenclaw girl in Minseok’s year nudges him, and in the hushed silence of the Great Hall her words are audible even to the Gryffindors.

“Open it,” she’s saying. “Or it heats up rapidly and explodes on you.”

Jongdae can just manage to get a glimpse of Minseok’s utterly confused expression as he pulls open the red envelope-- of course he’s never gotten a Howler before, he’s far too good of a student-- before there’s high-pitched screaming filling the hall.

“KIM MINSEOK! WHY ARE YOU SO ATTRACTIVE!!”

Beside him, Jongdae notices Kyungsoo’s entire face twisting into an expression of dumbfounded disbelief.

“WILL YOU PLEASE STOP BEING THE HOTTEST PERSON ALIVE AND LEAVE SOME SPACE FOR THE REST OF US OR SO HELP ME MERLIN BECAUSE MY HEART, BRAIN AND SOUTHERN BODY PARTS CAN’T DEAL WITH THIS FOR MUCH LONGER.”

A long stretch of quiet follows, broken only by a rather unattractive snigger from Chanyeol.

“Please don’t tell me you two were behind this,” Kyungsoo turns to his friends, whispering under his breath. His eyes flash from Jongdae to Chanyeol and back, only finding both of them sporting identical grins. Kyungsoo sighs. Baekhyun hides a laugh behind his hand.

On the other hand, Minseok stares at the burnt heap of paper sizzling on his toast in complete, shocked silence.

And the only thing he can manage to stutter out is a confused “...was that a confession or a complaint?” but it’s more than enough to send the Gryffindors on the neighbouring table into a hysterical fit.

  
  


“So, Byun Baekhyun.”

Kyungsoo lightly smacks Chanyeol on a sturdy bicep, the taller boy having leaned too much on his smaller friend, squishing him into the wall of the passageway behind the tapestry. At this time, the third floor is deserted well enough for Baekhyun to have been pulled aside by a now-familiar Ravenclaw, and the remaining trio couldn’t just let their curiosity eat them inside-out.

The boys are talking near the entrance of the trophy room, where Chanyeol knew a secret passageway close by hidden behind a tapestry. So of course, they ducked behind it, piling on top of each other to eavesdrop and watch as Kim Minseok steps up to Baekhyun, hands in his pockets and angled eyebrows raised.

“Hello, Kim,” Baekhyun tries amiably, but Minseok’s stony expression doesn’t change. Baekhyun’s smile falters.

“You sent the Howler.”

It’s a statement rather than a question, and Baekhyun is visibly taken aback, blinking in rapid succession at Minseok’s straightforwardness. “No, I didn’t,” he tries, only to be interrupted by eyebrows that lift further up Minseok’s forehead.

“But Peeves already graciously let the whole school know about how you fancy me, so in that case, by logical deduction I assumed you were the one behind the Howler,” Minseok tilts his head to the side, and the Gryffindors are struck by a realisation that oh, right, Kim Minseok is a Ravenclaw. Of course.

“No, no, no,” Baekhyun sighs, shaking his head. “You’ve got it all wrong.”

Minseok frowns. Jongdae briefly considers that maybe he doesn’t like being told that he’s wrong about something, before refocusing on the conversation happening a few metres away from them.

“Elaborate.”

“Well for a starter, I do not have a crush on you,” Baekhyun huffs, and Minseok’s eyebrows knit together even further. “And this was not my doing.”

Minseok takes a moment to consider Baekhyun’s words, lips pursing. “Let’s say you’re telling the truth,” he eventually decides, and Baekhyun not-so-subtly rolls his eyes. “Who was it, then?”

Jongdae holds his breath, Chanyeol stiffens, and Kyungsoo raises his eyebrows.

“It was merely a prank,” Baekhyun explains patiently, holding his palms up as a sort of peace gesture. “The rumour spread by Peeves was a prank, and the Howler was a prank. Meaningless, harmless joking.”

It seems to take Minseok a while to contemplate Baekhyun’s declaration, thinking it over and still reaching a dead end of confusion. “So,” he starts, trailing off, suddenly unsure of himself now. “You don’t have a crush on me.”

“Dear God, no I do not,” Baekhyun sighs. “And here I was thinking all Ravenclaws are geniuses.”

Minseok positively bristles, scowling at Baekhyun who only nervously laughs, backing away. It isn’t until Minseok turns on his heel, rounding a corner and out of sight that the three other Gryffindors climb out in a tangle of limbs from their hiding place.

But Minseok barely managed to get any answers out of Baekhyun, especially not with his friends listening, and Baekhyun should’ve known the Ravenclaw would come back finding him again.

Baekhyun can’t just shimmy out of answering Minseok’s prying questions time after time, afterall. This time, Minseok ambushes him perfectly the moment Baekhyun steps out of the boy’s lavatory between classes. It’s only been a day or two, but Minseok’s here pulling him back into the bathroom, shutting the wooden door behind them and standing near the sink and faucets. He has far too many questions left unanswered, and this time Baekhyun is well and truly alone.

He had ducked out of his group of friends to get in a quick bathroom trip before their next class, letting the others go on-- little did he know he’d be questioned here, in the lavatory of all places.

“Is it Kim Jongdae?”

Minseok stares at the Gryffindor, black hair falling over his forehead but not hiding the intensity of his thin eyes. All the incidents must be related somehow-- by one person-- and in a way they involve Baekhyun. It makes sense, to Minseok, at least. Kim Jongdae, ace prankster, one of Baekhyun’s closest friends.

The only thing he doesn’t understand is  _ why _ .

Baekhyun, flustered, gropes blankly for a response, mouth opening and closing repeatedly much to Minseok’s increasing frustration. It’s not his place to reveal anything at all, but he purses his lips, gnawing on the inside of his cheeks. He’s never been good at keeping secrets.

Minseok staring him down also doesn’t exactly help, his unbroken gaze, sharp cat-like eyes fixed on him. Baekhyun swallows, fidgeting on the spot.

“I mean,” he ends up spluttering. “It isn’t all Jongdae-- the last time he bumped into you wasn’t really his fault… and neither was the spider from Halloween, actually.” His eyes flicker up, nervously, awkwardly gauging Minseok’s expression. “But this rumour might be.”

Minseok’s gaze remains on him, on his every word and every move.

So in a small voice, Baekhyun mumbles out “Okay maybe the spider was Chanyeol’s doing.”

Only now does Minseok lean back, crossing both arms over his chest. “So, it’s both Kim and Park.”

“Together,” Baekhyun adds. “As in, they’re together. They’re....” he pauses, blowing a puff of air that makes his brown hair flutter around his face. “The two of them are something weird.”

“Do you mean they’re dating?” Minseok asks, confused. And there it is again-- the  _ why  _ question. If they’re dating, why the hell are they picking on him? Why him? Why are they doing what they’re doing?

“No?” Baekhyun asks right back, tone tilting in equal confusion, own brows furrowing. “I don’t know? They never said if they were, and they never told us if they’re… official.”

The Gryffindor scratches at his scalp, looking every bit as confused as Minseok feels, despite the topic of conversation being his two best friends that he knows every single detail about-- except this. And it frustrates the poor boy to no end, knowing that his friends are doing  _ something _ , something they’re keeping from him and Kyungsoo, that there’s actually something about Jongdae and Chanyeol that he doesn’t know now when they used to bare everything to each other. 

With a sharp, irritated sigh, Baekhyun leans against a sink, long fingers gripping the white marble. “They do things like make out and call each other cutesy names,” he continues, obviously deciding that since the cat is out of the bag, he may as well release all the other cats while he’s at it, while the filter is off. He pauses to sigh and raise the pitch of his voice. “Chanyeol, baby,” he imitates, before then deepening his voice to undoubtedly pretend to be Chanyeol in response. “Yes, babe?” 

He gives Minseok a particular look, straightening up.

“Shit like that,” is the last thing Baekhyun says before both of them look up as the door to the bathroom creaks open, revealing a junior Hufflepuff walking through to a stall. Baekhyun and Minseok share a look, a brief nod in silence, before they go their respective ways (Baekhyun rushing to the class he’s now late to, goddamn it, he’s been doing so well with attendance recently).

But certainly Baekhyun’s words swim in the front of Minseok’s conscious, and he allows himself to let his eyes graze over hoards of red-cloaked students from time to time, observing out of pure curiosity. 

Glances over during meals in the Great Hall at the Gryffindor table, just to focus on the group of friends in fourth year. Byun Baekhyun is laughing with a dark, messy haired boy with distinctively upwards-sloping eyebrows and a jutting jawline, who Minseok recognises must be Kim Jongdae with his tie hanging undone around his neck. Then there’s the boy sitting right next to Kim Jongdae, a boy who looks almost twice his size. His black hair is swept back, exposing a handsome forehead, thin brows, round eyes and pointed ears. Park Chanyeol, latching on to Jongdae’s arm as they eat.

Minseok blinks at how Jongdae likes to giggle with a hand over his mouth while eating, chewing delicately on his food, how Chanyeol shovels food in his mouth like he hasn’t eaten in three months. How they tease each other relentlessly, Jongdae elbowing Chanyeol in the side and making him choke on his mouthful. Chanyeol’s wriggling fingers take revenge, Jongdae squirming in his seat.

They’re both told off by their fourth friend, a boy with black glasses perched on his nose, dutifully eating his food and threatening his rowdy friends with a spoon pointed at their faces.

And it’s like Jongdae feels Minseok’s cattish eyes on him-- or perhaps he really did feel his gaze-- and he looks up as he’s leaning into Chanyeol’s side. Their eyes meet between the shapes of other students between them from the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables. And Minseok can’t really look away.

Jongdae’s good looking, he really is—and so is Chanyeol, he realises, when Chanyeol follows Jongdae’s gaze to look over at Minseok too. Both their eyes shine with similar amusement and mischief, Jongdae’s lips even tugging up in a mysterious sort of way. Fascinating, how he constantly seems to have a tiny little smile hanging on his mouth. Chanyeol leans over right into Jongdae’s space to whisper something in his ear, coaxing out a little chuckle from him, and Minseok watches Jongdae’s adams apple dance as he does so. That tie too, loose ends draped around Jongdae’s neck. Just looking at it makes Minseok’s perfectionist self itch all over, fingers twitching. And yet, he can’t stop staring at how it hangs from Jongdae’s beautifully thick neck.

Eventually, Minseok manages to glance away, but doesn’t exactly stop himself from looking back over at the Gryffindor table every so often, ears picking up on Jongdae’s loud, high-pitched laugh. And there’s Chanyeol’s equally loud laugh too, that’s lower in pitch by a few octaves. Minseok turns away, smiling politely as a classmate strikes up conversation with him about their studies, and momentarily pushes invading thoughts of trouble-maker Gryffindors to the back of his conscious. Out of sight, out of mind.

  
  


The thing with this particular pair of trouble-maker Gryffindors, however, is that they don’t like to stay out of sight for too long.

Minseok did not expect to see the Gryffindors in the transfiguration courtyard at the same time as him, for the same purpose as him. The patch of neatly-clipped lawn is in the inner depths of the Hogwarts castle, surrounded by old walls of sandstone that stretch up over them. The open area is carpeted with thick, green grass, obviously grown by magic, and in a corner stands an ancient tree, branches shadowing the grass under it. The massive iron armillary sphere in the centre of the grass distinguishes the transfiguration courtyard, which also happens to be the site for the weekly duelling club taught by the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor.

Minseok doesn’t recall the Gryffindor fourth years being in the club last year, or any of the years before that, but for the first club meeting of the new school year today he finds himself staring as Kim Jongdae, Byun Baekhyun and Park Chanyeol make their way through the stone archway at one end of the courtyard and onto the grass. The glasses boy seems to be missing from the group-- but Minseok doesn’t dwell on that. The gigantic Gryffindor of the group has managed to spot him, lighting up like a Christmas tree and bouncing over immediately. 

“Hi,” Park manages breathily the moment he reaches Minseok, big, round eyes almost sparkling in the slight sunshine that streams down into the courtyard. Minseok might have found the gesture cute, if this guy isn’t practically a complete stranger to him. That wide megawatt smile that shows off all his perfect teeth sits resolutely on his lips, the boy blinking expectantly at him. Minseok’s pretty certain that if Park Chanyeol had a tail, it would be madly wagging behind him.

“Hello,” Minseok responds, tilting his face to one side to blink up at the tall Gryffindor. “Do I know you?”

Of course he does. Park Chanyeol, who dropped a spider on his head during Halloween, according to Byun Baekhyun.

“No, but you know my friend Baekhyun!” Chanyeol’s chirping, smile widening. Minseok didn't think that was possible. “My name is Park Chanyeol! I’m Gryffindor’s beater!”

His two friends have just reached them when the professor calls for attention, clapping, all the students’ turning to simultaneously land their gazes on him. And Minseok’s heart sinks when the professor states that their duelling partner today will be whomever is next to them-- Minseok turns his head, and finds himself meeting eyes with Park, the only person next to him.

Chanyeol gives him a bright, excited grin.

They turn to each other, and Minseok just follows in Chanyeol’s footsteps, silent, as Chanyeol immediately raises his wand right up against his nose. That big, cheeky smile doesn’t drop from his mouth, even as he peers down at Minseok with the wand in the centre of his face. Park Chanyeol’s wand looks pretty long, Minseok mindlessly notes. Probably only to match his great height.

Simultaneously, they move their wands down from their faces to their sides, both lowering into bows. And it takes Minseok completely aback when he only slightly lowers his torso down, but Chanyeol bends low at his waist, in a much more respectful gesture that should not really be reserved for someone you are about to fire spells at. But even so, when he raises up to his full height again, his brown eyes twinkle with that amusement and excitement that never seems to really leave Chanyeol’s face.

They turn away from each other, walking across the grass to distance themselves-- Minseok vaguely notices Kim Jongdae and Byun Baekhyun a short way away already shouting profanities at each other even as they shoot jinxes through the air. He’d like to see the outcome of that one.

“I’m Kim Minseok, by the way,” he says just as he spins around on the spot, re-focusing on Park Chanyeol, now a number of feet away. The boy only nods vigorously. Of course, Minseok assumed he knew already. “Ravenclaw Captain and keeper.  _ Stupefy _ .”

Chanyeol is not stupefied. In fact, no spell travelled out of Minseok’s wand at all. A silence stretches between them, in which Minseok brings his outstretched wand back to his face, frowning down at it in complete confusion. His wand didn’t cast his spell.

Never before has his wand acted up like this. Although Minseok knows his wand is made of a dragon heartstring core, the more temperamental of the three common wand cores, it also bonds strongly with the owner and wouldn’t sway from that bond. Which makes this betrayal just that much more puzzling, that his wand just straight up went against what he asked of it and refused to cast his stunning spell.

Chanyeol, watching with a look of equal confusion from his spot, frowns. “Do you want to try again?” he calls kindly, and Minseok scowls a little to himself.

Well, now he doesn’t have the element of surprise nor smoothness, does he?

But he raises his wand again anyway, releasing a breath in a silent prayer, for it to please work this time. He can’t duel with a non-functional wand. He can’t really do much of anything at school with a non-functional wand.

“ _ Confundus _ ,” Minseok barks out, and this time he can feel the strength of the spell as it rushes out of his wand, and he can see the widening of Chanyeol’s big eyes. 

In a flash, the Gryffindor has raised a hand in a block, muttering something that was probably “ _ protego _ ” in an attempt to shield himself. He recovers quickly, though. “ _ Lacarnum inflamari _ ,” Chanyeol says, voice loud and ringing and very much confident as he points his wand for his turn.

And a small fire really does erupt on the tail of Minseok’s black outer robes, sparking to life. Red tongues lap up the cloth, and Chanyeol’s face twists into a satisfied smile, even as Minseok calmly points to the small flame. “ _ Aguamenti _ ,” Minseok mutters, a small stream of water flowing out of the wand tip to quench the fire Chanyeol had set on him.

Strange move it is for a duel, to set your opponent on fire. But this time, it’s Minseok’s turn.

“ _ Expelliarmus _ !” he cries, and is nearly knocked back himself by the force of the spell, and the speed it travels out of his wand and towards Chanyeol. Minseok doesn’t allow himself to get lost in thoughts of why his wand refused to act just then, but is now far too strong and powerful. It’s almost like he’s losing his grip and control over it-- again, strange for a dragon-heartstring core wand. It’s been with him for six years, surely that’s enough time for the wand to bond fully and completely to him?

And the spell this time is much too fast for Chanyeol to even process before he’s being knocked right back, both disarmed with his wand flying into Minseok’s free hand and being sent flying and slammed into the ground even further away.

The poor thing lies on the grass, groaning, and without even moving another muscle, Minseok points his wand at his opponent again. “ _ Rictusempra _ .”

And it’s over, Chanyeol being sent into a fit of giggles, writhing on the grass as the tickling jinx works it’s magic. The Gryffindor cries out, laughing loud and explosive as all his limbs jerk, flailing as he tries to wriggle away from invisible tickling hands. His laughter becomes silent, and he gasps for air, still giggling with no sound coming out. Minseok cracks a smile, gripping Chanyeol’s wand tight in his left hand.

And the moment the jinx is lifted off Chanyeol he just goes limp, panting in a heap in the grass. He shakes his head of hair, before jumping to his feet, breathless. Minseok takes a step closer, only to be faced with a big, boyish smile when Chanyeol turns back around.

He happily takes his wand back from Minseok, bowing low and deep yet again. Minseok watches him, blinking in interest.

There’s absolutely no bitterness at his loss, Chanyeol only easily laughing it off, shrugging and shaking himself as if trying to lose the last remains of the tickling hex.

“That was fun,” Park chimes, giggling, and his endlessly joyful optimism is really, really contagious. It brings out a small smile of his own on Minseok’s lips, finding himself silently agreeing that yeah, that was fun.

Minseok’s eyes return to Park Chanyeol, whose broad chest is still heaving from all those giggles the hex had gotten out of him. The smile on his mouth, the shine in his eyes, they never seem to leave.

“So who won?” Chanyeol’s yelling over at his friends, who have stopped too. Minseok wonders if Kim and Byun had two rounds or just one very long round, since they’ve been duelling for a while already.

Minseok finds himself witnessing a pouting Jongdae pointing accusatory fingers at Baekhyun, saying that the flocking charm he’s meant to specialise in was stolen, that Baekhyun used it against him to attack him with a flock of small birds. The brunette shrugs innocently, saying that he only did so because Jongdae nearly used the bucktooth hex on him. Chanyeol loses it, collapsing onto the grass in a fresh wave of laughter. Minseok, to his own surprise, finds himself chuckling along just watching Chanyeol rolling around, gasping. His laughter too, is really, really contagious, it seems.

  
  


There’s purpose in his steps and a hopeful glint in his eyes.

He can’t simply rely on a potion to get him his man, so the only thing Doh Kyungsoo can do is search for Sehun himself.

He waited until his friends left the dormitory that afternoon for the duelling club before setting off. But with it being the weekend, Kyungsoo’s task is amplified exponentially.

The duelling club only occurs every Saturday afternoon after lunch, and he had politely declined when they asked him to join in. He has much more important matters at hand-- such as trying to find one boy in the entire Hogwarts castle. 

Only after hurriedly descending the stairs from the seventh floor does the possibility that Sehun might be in his common room occur to Kyungsoo. And if he is, then count Kyungsoo’s mission failed.

If he had no luck bumping into Sehun to talk to him while under the effects of felix felicis, then today Kyungsoo must have drunken ten bottles of liquid luck to be able to find Sehun peacefully reading a charms textbook in the Hogwarts library. 

Just the sight of Sehun’s ever-so-perfect blonde hair brings the corners of Kyungsoo’s lips right up, the Gryffindor sneaking up behind him to cup his hands over Sehun’s eyes.

The younger boy jolts in his seat, stuttering in surprise. It makes Kyungsoo giggle into Sehun’s ear, moving his hands away to walk around Sehun’s chair, and the Slytherin gasps.

“Kyungsoo!” he greets happily, eyes immediately curved into little moons with the force of his smile. “Why’re you here?”

“Reading, like you,” Kyungsoo replies perfectly smoothly, nodding at the book in Sehun’s lap. “Studying up on charms?”

The boy nods, looking down at the textbook before frowning and closing it. “It’s one of my favourite classes, but even now it’s already getting harder.”

“What  _ are  _ your favourite classes? I don’t recall you ever telling me. Which is a little unfair, don’t you think?” Kyungsoo leans back in the armchair opposite Sehun’s seat that he had dropped himself into, pouting. “You already know I enjoy herbology and potions.”

Sehun giggles, lowering his eyes, and Kyungsoo stares. “Well, my favourite classes would be transfiguration and charms, I suppose. Happy now?”

The Gryffindor boy hums, subconsciously pushing his big frames up his nose. “Not just yet.” He leans in closer to the other boy. “Why those two subjects?”

Sehun opens his mouth to respond, but the voice that sounds over their conversation isn’t quite Sehun’s voice. They look up from where their eyes were focused on each other to the librarian, storming up to the two of them.

And they find themselves unceremoniously thrown out of the library with their bags and books for being so engrossed in each other that they had forgotten cleanly about the volume they were speaking at. But with one look at Kyungsoo, Sehun only straightens up, pushing his blonde hair out of his face, and chuckles good-naturedly. His broad shoulders shake a little with his quiet laughter at the incredulity of it all, and Kyungsoo snorts in response.

He shakes his head. “Come with me,” Kyungsoo says after their moment of just standing there and chortling, heading to the staircase ascending from the third floor.

Sehun asks no questions, hugging his books to his chest-- in fact, it takes climbing up four staircases for Sehun to actually give a voice to his curiosity, and only when he watches Kyungsoo stop walking in front of a stretch of empty wall on the seventh floor. The Gryffindor had started pacing in front of the wall, thick eyebrows knitted together in concentration, and Sehun mirrors his expression.

“What are you doing?” he asks, a moment before his eyes nearly pop out of his face.

After the third time Kyungsoo walks past the wall, a door materialises in front of Sehun’s very eyes, and Kyungsoo stops before it, turning to look back at Sehun with a little inviting smile hanging on his lips.

“You heard of the Room of Requirement before?” he asks, hand resting on the door knob.

Sehun can only dumbly shake his head, mouth agape as Kyungsoo turns the knob, stepping right into the room. And when Sehun follows suit, he lets an audible gasp of pleasant surprise escape his mouth.

The inside of the room looks almost like… Gryffindor tower?

Yes, the inside furnishings look almost exactly like Gryffindor tower, the common room, if not for the bits of green mixed in with all the red on the decorations on the walls and furniture on the floors. Sehun is in absolute awe.

The thick rug underfoot is burgundy, laced with details in yellow, and the big soft couches are just as red with velvet throw cushions dotted here and there. But then there are deep green blankets scattered around the red armchairs and couches, and the large bookshelves that stand along the far wall of the room are dark green too. It’s almost like Christmas came early this year and made the entire castle red-green themed… or, it’s almost like the common rooms of Gryffindor and Slytherin, but combined.

“What is this room?” he turns to Kyungsoo, who is already putting his bag down beside a long sofa, and inspecting the things on the little round coffee table that has a green top and legs in the shapes of hissing snakes that hold the table up. Something very distinctly Slytherin.

And it isn’t just about the colours-- looking closer, Sehun notices the intricate carvings on the stone above the fireplace, carvings of serpents and large reptilian beasts that hiss and bare their fangs. And yet, the lights that hang on the walls cast a golden glow throughout the entire room, and the deep red curtains are paired with green and silver tiebacks.

Sehun expects the fusion of red and green, Gryffindor and Slytherin, to look less cohesive, more like an awful mess of a mix. But this is delicately designed, beautifully executed, and ingenious.

“The Room of Requirement,” Kyungsoo’s saying, taking a seat on the couch. “Is a magical, secret room on the seventh floor. It is only there when one has a real need for it.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes sweep around the room in its entirety, satisfied. He beckons Sehun closer.

“You only need to pace three times in front of that wall that the room hides behind, and think of something you desperately need. The room will respond according to what you wish of it.”

“So what did you ask for?” Sehun chirps, plonking himself down on a delightfully soft couch, bringing a large throw cushion to his chest to hug.

At this, Kyungsoo lowers his gaze, small almost bashful grin settling comfortably on his lips. “I only wished for a place where we can talk as loudly as we want, where we can both be completely at home.”

Something rushes through Sehun’s chest. He smiles, glancing around the interior of the space behind the deceptively empty wall. “Which explains the Gryffindor-Slytherin merge.”

“Which I didn’t specifically ask for,” Kyungsoo points out, chuckling. “But I quite like this.”

Sehun only hums in agreement, relaxing into the squishy cushions. 

“You never answered my question,” Kyungsoo turns big, bright, curious eyes on him, pulling a red checkered blanket out from underneath him. “Why do you like transfiguration and charms?”

Sehun lets his lower lip jut out as he muses over the question momentarily. “Charms is just interesting to see what you can manage to do with a few words and a wave of the wand. I feel like in charms we learn some spells that are more fun and quirky, which is probably why I like it. And transfiguration is like...” Sehun continues, looking lost and thoughtful yet again. “There’s no limit to it,” he murmurs, eyes on the ceiling overhead.

A small chandelier hangs above them, similar to the one in the Slytherin dungeons.

“It’s almost like anything can be turned into anything, if you try hard enough. And it’s difficult,” Kyungsoo groans in agreement. “But I like a good challenge.”

“Of course you do,” Kyungsoo giggles. He’d deny he did such thing with his friends, but Sehun is different. Sehun is special.

When Sehun slips his wand out of his pocket, turning it gently in his fingers, he lets out a little gasp in realisation. “Though maybe it’s because my wand is fir wood.”

Kyungsoo sits up momentarily, blinking through his glasses at the wand Sehun balances between his fingers. “It’s a very long wand,” he concludes dumbly. “But I’ll have to admit, I know absolutely nothing about wand woods and cores.”

“The wand maker told me this when I got my wand before first year,” Sehun elaborates quickly, gently. “Fir wood wands tend to be better at transfiguration-- no wonder I’m good at it. They’re more resilient, focused and definitely not good for indecisive wizards. And apparently they like choosing owners with intimidating demeanours.” Sehun turns his pretty irises and long eyelashes on Kyungsoo, blinking. “Am I intimidating?”

The Gryffindor chuckles, regarding Sehun’s gorgeously handsome face with a tilt of his head. The boy is beautiful, with his pale skin, pink lips, long and straight nose and perfectly thin, angled brows. “Maybe?” he teases. “You’re just a little intimidating. Mostly because of how tall you are.”

Sehun throws a pillow in Kyungsoo’s general direction.

On the topic of subjects, Sehun asks Kyungsoo about his favourite classes, and Kyungsoo even extends an offer to help Sehun with herbology. It’s by far Sehun’s worst class, while it’s one of Kyungsoo’s best. It’s the least he can do, to help a guy out (but really, what Kyungsoo wouldn’t give for a few extra hours a week with Sehun-- hell, he'd sell Chanyeol if it could buy him more time with Sehun).

Kyungsoo even brings out his own wand, teaching Sehun just a few advanced spells and charms that Sehun wouldn’t learn until third or fourth year. Things like  _ Salvio hexia _ , or even the banishing charm.

But while Sehun’s eyes are absolutely shining in the light of the fireplace, eagerly practicing the charms and vigorously waving his wand with his enthusiasm, Kyungsoo complains that those are far too boring-- so of course, he decides to teach Sehun the jelly-legs jinx that he learnt from Jongdae rather than from any charms class.

After enough rounds of uncontrollable laughter at Sehun’s limp or flailing long legs, Kyungsoo collapses back against the couch, wheezing, still wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.

“Merlin’s beard,” Sehun’s shoulders still shake from laughter, turning to peer at Kyungsoo through teary eyes. “I feel like you enjoy that far too much. Don’t tell me it’s your favourite spell.”

“Oh no,” Kyungsoo chuckles quietly again, sniffling. “My favourite is forever the bat-bogey hex.”

That sends Sehun into another fit of giggles, hand over his mouth. “I didn’t-- I really didn’t expect that from you,” he laughs. “The bat-bogey hex? Really?”

“It works marvellously. Want me to show you?”

“No thank you,” Sehun says immediately, and Kyungsoo bursts out laughing. 

Even just sitting there on the couches, hugging cushions and gazing up at the ceiling, talking about anything and everything, it never gets boring. Far from it, considering they never actually run out of topics to talk about. There are always questions they still need to ask each other, always burning curiosity and complete interest in everything the other has to reveal-- but when Kyungsoo mentions that there’s a deck of exploding snap on the coffee table, the two of them clamber up to sit around the table, laughing as they play.

It isn’t until the cards explode on Sehun’s turn, startling the poor boy who yells a little, that they even take notice of the time. The clock hanging on the wall states that there’s only a few minutes until dinner, and the two of them hasten to grab their bags and books, but hesitant to actually leave the room.

Without even realising, they had spent all afternoon sitting in the Room of Requirement, talking, chatting, playing cards, and laughing about the spells that Kyungsoo oh-so-generously taught Sehun.

Even now, with hesitant goodbyes on their lips, the laughter is still in their eyes that lock onto each other, as the door to their room vanishes back into the stretch of wall on the seventh floor. 

  
  


“How about we begin with Kim Minseok?”

Baekhyun lets out a low hoot, standing beside Chanyeol.

The professor takes a look around the circle of students in the club standing around him on the grass. “Would anyone like to volunteer to duel against him for the first round of the day?”

One eager hand goes flying up immediately. “Me, Professor,” Jongdae pipes up shrilly, waving his hand around in the air. “I’d like to volunteer!”

Minseok purses his lips in the most subtle expression of disdain.

“Kim Jongdae it is, then.” The professor decides, and the circle of students that make up the duelling club shuffle backwards to make space for the two students that are to duel first, as a demonstration of sorts. “Though, Minseok is in sixth year--”

“That’s alright,” Jongdae chirps immediately, stepping right up to Minseok with a strange glint in his eyes. The curl of his lips doesn’t manage to hide the competitive shine in the eyes of the Gryffindor boy, despite his polite smile and the way he extends a hand out to Minseok. “Kim Jongdae, fourth year,” he says, charmingly. “I never properly introduced myself.”

It takes Minseok a beat longer than usual, blinking at the tilt of Jongdae’s brows, crinkle of the edge of Jongdae’s eyes, and sharpness of all the lines of his face. “Nice to meet you, Kim,” Minseok eventually says, calm and cool, though gripping Jongdae’s hand in a tight, strong hold.

The Gryffindor doesn’t seem to mind at all, actually. In fact, his smile actually widens the moment Minseok’s hand intertwines with his own.

In one smooth whoosh, both wands are raised to their noses, eyes never leaving each other’s. Jongdae’s cattish smile never fades, curling teasingly at the corners and eyes glimmering from behind his wand. Minseok watches him, watches the twinkle of his smiling eyes, watches the way his eyebrows pull up as they move their wands to their sides, bowing.

Both boys turn on their heel in synchrony, striding away from each other. Minseok can distinctly feel the hot gazes of everyone else in the duelling club locked onto them, can feel the prickling discomfort knowing that the professor is scrutinising both him and Jongdae. He swallows.

Chanyeol was easy enough to beat, but Jongdae is a complete utter mystery. 

Chanyeol shows everything on his face, expressions giving it all away. He hides no secrets, baring all of him for the world to see, all genuine and open like no one else Minseok has ever met.

Turning around on the spot, Minseok lets his eyes find Kim Jongdae again, whose black hair falls into his eyes as he spins around to also face Minseok. That infuriating lift of the corners of his thin lips is back again on his face-- perhaps now more like a smirk than anything else. And suddenly, Minseok realises that while Park Chanyeol and Kim Jongdae are both strangers to him, somehow Chanyeol gives him a greater sense of familiarity, like he’s known him for forever. Kim Jongdae, on the other hand, seems like a bottomless pit. Like even if Minseok does know him for forever, Jongdae will still feel like a complete stranger.

In a short, suave moment, Jongdae shakes his head slightly, flipping his messy hair out of his face, raising his wand-- and so does Minseok.

They don’t even wait for the professor to count down.

“ _ Stupefy _ !”

“ _ Expelliarmus _ !”

The jolt of their spells colliding travels through both of their wands, up their arms, and rattles through the bodies of both boys as red flashes crash into each other. Minseok can feel the strength of Jongdae’s disarming spell, even if their spells didn’t meet for long before they both withdrew from the force of the collision. And truthfully, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t taken aback by how strong Jongdae’s spell had been. Minseok, as well as his wand, may really have been sent flying if that  _ ‘expelliarmus’  _ hit him.

But instead, they both pull back from their stalemate, Minseok pointing his wand again.

“ _ Everte statum _ ,” he tries, only for Jongdae to wave his wand in front of himself.

“ _ Protego _ ,” the Gryffindor says easily, seemingly having thought of using the protective shield charm already. And already, Minseok is hit by the thudding feeling that Jongdae isn’t going to be as easy as Chanyeol to beat.

But that doesn’t deter Minseok in the slightest. “ _ Immobulus _ !” he cries, and there’s a quick quirk of one side of Jongdae’s mouth.

Another wave of his wand, and the Gryffindor easily blocks the immobilizing spell that hurtled through the air towards him in a flash of white. It dissipates against Jongdae’s shield spell, and Minseok squints his eyes. It’s almost like Jongdae’s  _ playing  _ with him-- getting Minseok to do all the work, like he’s taking this far too easy and trying his best to make it look effortless on his part. It’s bloody infuriating.

“ _ Incarcerous _ ,” Minseok barks out, pointing resolutely at Jongdae’s neck with his forever loose tie. “Maybe your tie will finally be done properly around your neck, Kim Jongdae,” he spits, as loops of rope metres and metres long fly out of his wand tip.

But this time, Jongdae just side-steps the spell, moving away from the coils of rope Minseok had flung at him with a lift of his slanted brows. A raise of his wand, and the lengths of rope are severed neatly with invisible slashes. A silent  _ ‘diffindo’  _ charm, Minseok notes with a moment of stunned surprise. Impressive, for a fourth year.

This time, Jongdae turns to direct his wand towards Minseok. “ _ Petrificus totalus _ .”

But Minseok had made his own move at the same time. “ _ Confundus _ .”

Another clash of flashes of light from both wands, which actually knocks both boys back a few steps on the grass as they separate from the crash of the two spells. Minseok vaguely registers Park Chanyeol giving a low whistle somewhere behind him as the rest of the students and professor watches on. The duel is certainly dragging out for longer than Minseok would have ever expected it to-- Kim Jongdae is not an easy opponent, and has too much fight in him to let it go down without some flare.

And so Minseok points his wand down, at the grass beneath Jongdae’s feet. And he doesn’t quite know exactly why he thought of this spell, but before he realises it, “ _ expulso _ ” is leaving his lips.

With another quick, efficient shield charm, Jongdae blocks what would have otherwise been an extravagant disaster. “Wow,” he huffs. “Are you actually trying to kill me, Minseok?”

The Ravenclaw’s jaw tightens. Something about the way Jongdae takes it all in stride, the way Jongdae makes it seem so easy, the way Jongdae just doesn’t get serious, the way Jongdae calls him by his name like they’re friends. And with a tightening of his fingers around his wand, Minseok raises it.

“ _ Reducto _ !”

And luckily, Jongdae managed to duck as Minseok’s bright red spell flies overhead, hitting a bush behind him and blowing it into smithereens.

“Kim Minseok,” the professor barks in disbelief, that the sensible and quiet Ravenclaw Kim Minseok would even try to explode his duelling opponent, a fellow student. But with his blood boiling in his veins and heartbeat thudding ominously at his temples, Minseok barely hears it. And was entirely caught off guard when Jongdae throws his own spell right at him, still bent over from avoiding Minseok’s reductor curse.

“ _ Levicorpus _ !” 

And with a sudden wail in complete shock, Minseok feels his feet slip out on their own accord from under his body, feels himself leave the ground and tip right over in the air. And in a split second, he’s being hoisted up by invisible ropes around his ankles, dangling a couple of feet in the air, eyes suddenly on the grass that he had stood on. He flails to no avail, barely managing to stop his robes from falling over his face, the world spinning endlessly around him.

And he could almost hear the smirk on Jongdae’s face when the Gryffindor chortles, the rest of the students around them chuckling along at what should now be Jongdae’s victory.

But amongst all the spinning that racks his brain, and the way all his blood rushes rapidly down to his head, Minseok manages to focus on his hand. He hasn’t let go of his wand yet.

He barely raises his arm, trying his best to point his wand at where Jongdae’s red robes stand. “ _ Expelliarmus _ ,” he mutters, and delights in the way Jongdae’s almond shaped eyes widen immediately as his wand neatly flies out of his hand.

The Gryffindor looks up, at how Minseok’s brandishing Jongdae’s wand in his free hand despite slowly rotating mid-air, despite his face being all red from the blood being drawn down by gravity. And both of Jongdae’s eyebrows are pulling up in the middle, gazing wordlessly at the victorious gleam in Minseok’s eyes, at his wand in Minseok’s hand, at Minseok’s robes slowly falling down despite the boy trying to hold onto them.

With a clap, they both snap out of their respective reveries, heads turning towards the professor, who takes a quick glance between the two students.

“I think that’s enough,” the man mutters. “I think we have a winner.”

He gestures towards Minseok, and Jongdae’s eyebrows shift even higher on his forehead. But before he could open his mouth to protest in that high, shrill voice of his, the professor flashes him a quick look.

“Excellent  _ levicorpus  _ charm, Kim Jongdae,” he points out. “But the point here is that one of you is rendered helpless with no wand, while the other one still has their full range of magical abilities, despite being physically unable. Therefore, Kim Minseok wins this round. Now, let him down.”

Minseok was ready to throw Jongdae his wand back, so he could release him from being hung upside down in mid air. He was ready to drop to the grass, have the breath knocked out of his lungs from the impact against the ground.

He was not ready for the air in his lungs to escape from him because of Kim Jongdae, suddenly stepping up to him, right into his space.

Minseok goes cross-eyed with how close Jongdae is-- and if he wasn’t so dizzy upside down, he would focus more on the long lashes that frame Jongdae’s eyes, or the moles that dot the side of his face and his temples. The Gryffindor’s lips tweak up in that now familiar, ever so frustrating little smirk, and Minseok hurriedly averts his eyes. He bites down on his bottom lip, blaming the blood in his head for the heat of his cheeks, clumsily shoving Jongdae’s wand towards him. 

And the moment Jongdae releases the hold that the spell had on Minseok the Ravenclaw comes crashing down to the grass in a dizzying spiral of flailing limbs and flying blue robes. He crumples in a heap on the ground, the professor hurrying up to him while Minseok lets his eyes slip shut in a poor attempt to stop the world from spinning. The redness in his face is still there, and he suspects it’s all because of that infuriating Gryffindor, but he can’t deny his embarrassment-- not only that a fourth year was a shockingly good match against him, but also at the many faces that had stood in a circle and bore witness to the way Minseok had lost his cool at Jongdae, and the way Jongdae had hoisted him up on a simple  _ ‘levicorpus’ _ .

Minseok accepts the professor’s outstretched hand, grabbing onto it to slowly stand, shaking the dizziness out of his head. But the humiliation follows him around, refusing to be merely shaken off his shoulders in the same way. And his cheeks remain flushed, rosy, definitely flustered.

  
  


A horrified yell rips through the Gryffindor boys’ dormitories at exactly ten minutes past six o’clock in the morning.

A boy storms back into his dorm room, slamming the door behind him and slapping the light switch on the wall for the room to be illuminated by the glowing yellow lamp. The boy on the second bed looks up, extinguishing the light of his wand that he had been holding up to  _ ‘Book of Dangerous Spells and How to Counter Them’ _ . He’s already fully dressed in his red robes, bed already made, sitting upright against his pillows and waiting for his friend to wash up before they would both go downstairs to the Great Hall for breakfast. Then the two of them would pull out their books, getting last-minute homework or reading done before their first class of the day, and wake their other two night-owl friends. That’s always how they did mornings.

But this morning, the boy in the doorway is clearly not in the mood for some early morning reading.

“BYUN BAEKHYUN!” He screams, and a sleepy groans drifts over from the very last bed in the room. “WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO ME?”

At this, a head of messy brunette bed hair raises from the pillow, smug grin visible even from the bed. “Do you like it?”

“FUCK NO!” Doh Kyungsoo shrieks, hands coming up to grab at his hair.

“Merlin’s beard,” Jongdae exclaims from his bed, putting his textbook down. His eyes, widened, bore holes into Kyungsoo’s skull as he leans forward. “You look good, ‘Soo.”

Kyungsoo groans, slapping both hands into his face. “No, I don’t, I look like a damn clown.”

“No, it actually really suits you,” Jongdae insists, straightening up. “Are you done? I’m starving.”

“I hadn’t even started when I looked into the mirror and saw that Byun Baekhyun had turned my fucking hair red,” Kyungsoo spits with as much malice as he can muster up, shooting an absolutely venomous look over at the bed on the other side of the dorm. Indeed, what used to be his head of short black hair with shaved sides is now a deep wine red, and Kyungsoo moans again in despair.

And why is he so absolutely certain that it's their brunette friend who committed the crime? Because Byun Baekhyun is well-known in Gryffindor, and maybe even throughout the whole school, for his love of changing his appearance. Not being born a metamorphagus doesn't stop him-- and perhaps Baekhyun abuses the colour changing charm just a little.

He likes to change up his hair colour once a year, and a good number of Gryffindors have started placing bets on what colour Byun Baekhyun’s hair will be when school resumes. While he arrived at Hogwarts in first year with his natural black hair, in second year that became a gorgeous head of glimmering silver hair. And in third year Baekhyun decided he fancied pink, and wore a head of fairy floss coloured hair all year. So really, who else could it possibly be?

Kyungsoo turns to Jongdae, a desperate look in his eyes.

“Jongdae,” he starts, a rare pout already forming on his thick lips. “You’re good at transfiguration. You would know how to turn my hair back, wouldn’t you?”

Jongdae only hides a grin behind a palm, shrugging. “Sorry, ‘Soo. This is a charm, not something transfigured. I can’t help you there.”

With another loud, pitiful cry, Kyungsoo lets Jongdae usher him back towards the bathroom to wash up. 

 


	5. expelliarmus (your smile disarms me)

 

Kyungsoo just wants to be a wallflower again.

The amount of unnecessary compliments he received all day does nothing to help his situation-- his ears are almost the same shade as his new hair, and it’s almost like every single Gryffindor (or students from other houses and years, in fact) try to stop him to talk about his new hair, or shout something over their shoulder as they pass in the corridors. And Kyungsoo, with how horrendous he is at charms, had walked around all day with a head of sultry red hair, without a single clue how to turn it back.

Jongdae refuses to help, Baekhyun still thinks it was genius, Chanyeol demands to get his hair coloured as well. Not a single person bothered changing his hair back for him, insisting that he looks so good with it that he may as well keep the colour. Even the professors let Kyungsoo walk around with his red hair, claiming that it matches his house colour, so why not?

Why not? Because Kyungsoo feels silly, that’s why.

But the way Sehun’s eyes don’t leave him and his face (or, more likely his hair) may just be enough to compensate for Kyungsoo’s entire day of humiliation.

“Stop staring at me,” he grumbles, face just as red as his ears, which are just as red as his hair. He hides himself behind his hands, shying away from the intensity of Sehun’s unbroken stare, and his ears pick up on the Slytherin’s laughter.

“It looks amazing though,” Sehun argues, trying his very best to wrap his long fingers around Kyungsoo’s own, pulling his hands from his face. “I like it. You should keep it.”

“Not you too,” Kyungsoo groans, slamming face first into the top of the wooden benchtop that they sit at on their tall stools in the kitchens.

“If everyone says it, then it must be true,” Sehun tries again, poking one of Kyungsoo’s heated cheeks. He coos, quietly, and Kyungsoo swears his face just grows hotter. “Seriously. You look--” Sehun pauses, as if he’s choking on his words for a moment or two. “You look…. Very h-handsome. With red hair.”

They had shared a chocolate frog earlier, and it’s almost like Kyungsoo can feel it coming to life in his guts, leaping around and jumping against the walls of his stomach all of a sudden. There’s the swooping feeling he gets whenever Sehun does anything, says anything, and this feeling is so familiar it’s like home. But all of a sudden it’s intensified by ten-fold, and Kyungsoo finds himself swallowing thickly, feeling the drumming of his heart all the way down his fingertips. 

He raises his face from where he had mushed it against the table top-- there’s the thought that he might have the lines from the wood etched on to his cheeks that pass fleetingly through his mind-- but his eyes land on Sehun, and Kyungsoo’s head is suddenly filled with thoughts of Sehun, Sehun only. The Slytherin is looking away in this sort of nonchalant manner, like yeah, complimenting a friend shouldn’t be a big deal.

But there’s a hint of a red flush creeping up his neck from the collar of his crisp white school shirt, giving Sehun away.

But Kyungsoo’s eyes, that remain resolutely on Sehun’s face, widen when the boy turns his head back around to glance at Kyungsoo again.

There’s the mix of thin eyes and round eyes, brown eyes blinking at a fellow pair of brown eyes. Thin, sharp brows, heavy, unruly brows. Blinking in surprise at being caught red-handed staring, widening in shock at the eye contact.

With a rapid succession of blinks, Kyungsoo immediately looks away, letting out a silent breath he didn’t know he was holding. Lovely, his face feels even hotter than it had been just minutes ago.

Kyungsoo’s mere little human chest is hardly large enough for the dragon that his ribs houses, breathing fire into his flesh and blood and setting him ablaze. That is the only logical conclusion he can come to, sucking his thick lower lip between his teeth. That must be the reason why he feels like his fingertips are ignited, and why his chest feels so, so full. 

And as if it isn’t enough, as they part ways at the entrance of the staircase leading down to the dungeons further into the night, Sehun reaches out with inquisitive fingers, lightly combing them through Kyungsoo’s now red hair.

There’s a tiny smile on his lips and his eyes are on Kyungsoo’s hair, or on his own fingers in Kyungsoo’s hair. Kyungsoo’s eyes are on him.

Sehun spares a quick glance down at Kyungsoo’s own pair of wide searching eyes, before both look away almost immediately, again.

And hurriedly Kyungsoo had spluttered out a messy string of goodbye’s, running at record speed away from the gorgeous blonde haired boy, huffing and panting as he thunders up staircase after staircase.

Even as he emerges on the seventh floor opposite the portrait of Sir Cadogan from his secret staircase from the fourth floor, he bends down, resting his hands on his knees. His breath is heaved out between his lips as quickly as his heart thuds-- it’s funny how in front of Sehun he couldn’t manage to conjure up a single thought in that useless brain of his, but now that he’s well and truly away from Sehun (on the opposite side of the castle, at that), his mind can’t stop racing.

  
  


Chanyeol sticks out like a sore thumb.

He looks incredibly pleased about that fact, swooping in the air, letting the wind blow his hair behind him. 

“How does my hair look?” he calls down to the ground, a boy with his trademark messy black hair flashing him a thumbs up.

“Hot like wasabi,” Jongdae shouts back, and Chanyeol’s big megawatt toothy smile only widens further.

Inspired by Kyungsoo, Chanyeol had insisted he wanted to turn his hair red too, and Baekhyun was only more than happy to comply. It’s to represent house spirit, Chanyeol claimed, but absolutely glowed from the faces of his friends (Jongdae’s expression in particular) once his head of silky hair became a bright, raspberry red.

He’d grinned, smoothing it back with one hand as he peered at himself in the mirror, ego only growing at the gobsmacked looks on his friends’ faces.

Kyungsoo, who finally turned his hair back to black once he saw what spell Baekhyun used, had his eyebrows raised past the frames of his glasses. Baekhyun’s brown eyes were wide, grinning big and toothy in pleasant surprise. Jongdae had dropped his jaw in entirety, eyes blown huge and openly ogled Chanyeol.

Even now, whizzing around in his broomstick hundreds of feet in the air, he uses his spare hand not holding onto his beater’s bat to run his fingers through his hair, smoothing it back, knowing fully well the effect of a move like that with how incredible he looks with red hair.

Jongdae had confirmed it, pressed Chanyeol against the sink of the bathroom once the others left and grabbed a handful of red strands, dropped kisses on the corners of Chanyeol’s pliant mouth.

But unfortunately, Gryffindor doesn’t get the quidditch pitch to themselves for their practice. 

Both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw teams happened to turn up to the pitch at nine o’clock sharp in the morning, and neither captain wanted to back down and give the other team free reign of the pitch. Kim Minseok and Choi Siwon, glaring at each other head to head, until Siwon had suggested with a polite, gentlemanly smile that they may as well have a joint practice session.

“Just as preparation for the actual match,” he had reasoned with the Ravenclaw captain, eyebrows raised, and Minseok only nodded in silent agreement.

All of a sudden, there’s a whoosh of air right beside Chanyeol sitting on his broom, and he whips his head around to catch a glimpse of blue.

Minseok shoots past Chanyeol, a single angular eyebrow raised, blatantly eyeing his hair. “Nice hair, Park.”

Chanyeol positively beams, the tips of his ears blending in with his hair. “Thanks. I changed it with you in mind.”

That gets Minseok’s attention. “Me?”

“My burning passion for you.”

Chanyeol giggles as though he told a hilarious joke, and Minseok only huffs, turning back around on his broom in midair. “Are you sure you didn’t dye it for your house colour?” he throws over his shoulder, blue robes the colour of the Great Lake on this sunny day fluttering behind him.

As Minseok speeds off towards one of the goal posts that he will hover in front of for the rest of the practice match, his ears manage to pick up on Chanyeol shouting “You got me!” after him.

And perhaps it’s Chanyeol’s hair, that gives him the even greater boost of confidence.

Perhaps it’s the way everyone reacted to it, how he himself knows he looks hot with flaming red hair, how Jongdae couldn’t keep his eyes off it or hands away from it. 

Just as Siwon shouts that the game is over, Kim Jongin had caught the snitch, Chanyeol slows to a complete halt in the air, rolling his shoulders back.

And easily, he lifts the bottom hem of his quidditch shirt. He turns his broom, heading off around the pitch, using the lower edge of his shirt to wipe the sweat beading on his forehead that’s been running down his temples, dripping from his chin, and flying off in the wind with him dashing around on his broom.

Except what would have been a completely innocent gesture only means Chanyeol easily exposes a perfectly sculpted abdomen, flying around with his shirt lifted up towards his face.

None of the other players pay him much attention-- but Jongdae, down in the spectator’s stands this time, sitting and watching the practice match, zeros in on Kim Minseok. His eagle eyes carefully watches him, watches as Minseok stops and stares, follows Minseok’s gaze to Chanyeol’s bared torso. 

Jongdae raises one slanted eyebrow. Interesting. He doesn’t forget, however, to cat-call and whistle as loudly as he can at Chanyeol and his abs, earning himself a big sunny smile flashed his way.

  
  


“Come down to the greenhouse in the afternoon for extra assistance with this class.”

Sehun did what he was told.

So he finds himself standing outside the glass walls of the herbology professor’s greenhouse after lunch, but that’s certainly not the herbology professor standing in there, watering the plants.

It’s a boy, a boy donned in a neat red and gold tie, wearing a grey vest over his school shirt. Glasses perch on his face, hair back to black, to Sehun’s disappointment. A very much familiar boy.

With a creak of the door, Sehun sticks his head through the doorway, immediately inhaling scents of flowers, of fresh grass, and the forest. “Kyungsoo?” he calls in a tiny voice, but the figure freezes anyway.

Now, their last encounter may have been nothing but immensely awkward-- the way they kept glancing over at each other’s faces, the blush that sat high on Kyungsoo’s cheekbones the entire night, the very few words exchanged between them, the way Kyungsoo had run off at the very end. Sehun knew it was awkward. 

But between spying Kyungsoo in the greenhouse and pushing open the door to call out for him, he isn’t sure which route his brain took. It must be something about never being able to stay away from that boy.

“Sehun,” the Gryffindor boy in question spins around on his heels, eyes rounded, thick lips forming a perfect little ‘o’. The watering can swings in his limp hand. “Why-- why are you here?”

“The professor told me to come down here,” he responds, truthfully. “My worst class happens to be herbology,” he raises his eyes to glance up through long eyelashes at Kyungsoo. “You know it. She told me to come down to get some extra help.”

Kyungsoo only nods dumbly, eyes almost glazing over as they settle on Sehun’s face.

The blonde fidgets, looking up to lock eyes with the other boy. He clears his throat. “So, why are you here?” he mumbles instead.

Kyungsoo turns back around to the plants, raising the watering can again, and Sehun deems it safe to step a little closer once more. “I help the professor look after some plants in my spare time when she’s too busy,” the Gryffindor is explaining, going back to his watering job, eyes remaining on the plants instead of Sehun.

And just as the Slytherin nods, before opening his mouth to actually verbally respond, Kyungsoo chances a look upwards from beneath his black frames.

“I can help you, you know,” Kyungsoo hums, a little smile pulling his thick lips upwards. “My best class happens to be herbology,” he adds, teasing, with a slight raise of one heavy eyebrow, and Sehun can’t help the giggle that bubbles up his throat from his chest.

Watering can in one hand, inviting tilt of his head and tiny lift of his lips, Kyungsoo allows Sehun to follow him through the greenhouse a few steps behind. The little pathway lined by tiles circles around the plants flourishing in every corner of the greenhouse, Kyungsoo pointing certain ones out as he strolls along. He pokes a rope of vine hanging across the path with a finger, and Sehun watches in fascination as it recoils to let them pass, leaves waving at them in a friendly greeting of good afternoon.

Kyungsoo turns back to face Sehun, pointing as they pass a large potted dittany plant. Sehun is very distracting, though.

The sunlight filtering in through the glass walls of the greenhouse splash onto Sehun’s pretty porcelain skin and delicate strands of blonde hair, lighting up the boy, letting him glow. At least, in Kyungsoo’s eyes. Sehun’s eyelashes, when he blinks in the light, look white underneath the gentle afternoon sun now filling the entire interior of the greenhouse.

It had been built with the pathway of the sun in mind, so that the two large glass walls would have sunshine directly hitting the plants inside in the hours of the early morning as well as the late afternoon-- like right now. And it’s awful, awful timing, they’re standing in the most awful place.

Because the light that falls on Sehun, bathing him in a soft yellow glow, makes his lips glisten just the slightest. They always look so tender, Sehun’s pretty pink lips, and always look so soft when Sehun gently smiles down at Kyungsoo talking quietly about the plants that stand around them. Always so delicate, the way he smiles.

With an embarrassed cough, Kyungsoo turns to introduce his very own devil's snare plant that he’s been raising with a little flourish, delighting in Sehun’s humoured giggle. He glances up, stealing looks while Sehun is preoccupied peering at the plant, and allowing his eyes to drift down from Sehun’s handsome tall nose to that pair of petal-like lips again.

Sehun likes to smile with his lips glued together, but can’t seem to help himself. Because now, Sehun’s lips stretch gently over his teeth, exposing them as he beams at Kyungsoo’s antics. Sehun’s mouth is so small, so small and pink-- and his smile is so soft, even now with all his dazzling white teeth exposed, and Kyungsoo would be lying if he said he never thought about how it would feel under his mouth.

He would be lying if he said he isn’t thinking about it now.

Would Sehun’s lips melt the moment they’re touched, and give way easily? It certainly looks like that, with how soft they seem to be.

Would Sehun’s bottom lip tremble between Kyungsoo’s teeth? Would Sehun smile into Kyungsoo’s mouth?

Kyungsoo nearly feels the gears working his brain overheat in the moment. There are too many questions, too many things to consider-- he has never kissed anyone before.

And yet here he is, attempting to subtly ogle the Slytherin that he’s grown so, so close to. The Slytherin that he’s been attempting to subtly ogle for the past two months, ever since he had watched that boy whizz around in the air catching the golden snitch for the first time.

Kyungsoo swallows, immediately dragging his eyes away from Sehun’s flawless, pale skin and beautiful, irresistibly beautiful mouth. 

The entire greenhouse has heated up along with Kyungsoo’s head and body, so stifling, so humid it’s suffocating-- like the air in the greenhouse is solid instead of gaseous, pressing in on Kyungsoo from all directions. But another look at Sehun, and Kyungsoo wonders exactly what the cause of his inability of breathe is.

  
  


“But I like walking down to herbology, even though the gardens are pretty far.”

Kyungsoo waits for Sehun to descend the narrow staircase through the study hall, pulling the bookshelf back in front of the entrance of the passageway once Sehun clambers out of it.

He had insisted, despite Sehun’s protests.

“But I’ll show you the secret passageway that I use to get from the Gryffindor tower to the kitchens,” Kyungsoo had suggested, eyebrows raised. “Come on, you wanted to know, didn’t you?”

Only then did Sehun begrudgingly allow Kyungsoo to walk him back to the Slytherin common room after they leave the Room of Requirement on the seventh floor. Kyungsoo had kindly brought him his ‘ _ One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi _ ’ textbook, which is why he had asked to meet in the Room of Requirement in the first place so that he could easily pop in to the Gryffindor common room to retrieve it.

Kyungsoo had patted the cover of the thick volume, sworn by that textbook. “It saved my ass for herbology and potions,” he had assured, as he pushed the book into Sehun’s hands.

But then they had looked at the time, and blimey, it was past midnight somehow already. Somehow, all sense of time and space were warped during conversation, with Sehun’s eyes shining and Kyungsoo’s smile blooming on his face in the room. It was easy to pass time, easy to get lost in one another when no one else is around and the room is absolutely perfect for the two of them.

So now, as they stride through the fourth floor study area to the staircase at the end of it, the entire floor is shadowed in darkness. The occasional torch of magical fire along the walls don’t reach the corners of the rooms and walkways, which look ominous in the gloom. A slight shudder runs down Sehun’s spine.

They talk only in hushed voices, grateful for the carpet that muffles their footsteps as they descend a floor to the third floor landing.

“I have herbology in the same time slot that Chanyeol has Care of Magical Creatures on the same days,” Kyungsoo continues, low murmuring voice breathy and soft, so soft Sehun could barely hear him as they reach the floor below. “So walking down the grassy lawns with him is really enjoyable, actually.”

As soon as Kyungsoo rounds a corner on the third floor, though, he stops dead in his tracks, shutting up immediately. Sehun nearly runs right into him from behind-- he would never admit it, but he’s been following right on Kyungsoo’s heel as they navigate the castle in the dark after midnight, all a little too skittish when there are no lamps on the walls or when he thinks he sees something in a shadowy corner.

And he would definitely take this secret to the grave, but more than once he finds himself glancing at Kyungsoo’s hands, which are by his side as he walks-- thinking about wrapping his fingers around what must be warm palms and holding on tight, to help with the pressing darkness around him.

But he glances up, over Kyungsoo’s shoulder, and he freezes too.

A corridor stretches out in front of them, and there’s an unmistakable moving light shining against the wall around the corner at the end of that hallway. A second later, and both boys pick up on the definitive jingling of keys and uneven footsteps, even on the carpet. The caretaker.

All of a sudden, there’s a real, solid warm palm and five fingers grasping onto one of Sehun’s elegant hands-- and this time, it’s not a figment of Sehun’s imagination.

With a tight grip on Sehun’s hand, Kyungsoo sets off immediately in the other direction, pulling Sehun behind him as he weaves down another corridor off to the left.

And just as they near what must be the trophy room, Sehun finds himself unceremoniously shoved right into a tapestry against the wall-- except there’s no wall. He stumbles clumsily into a hole in the wall, sitting in a little secret tunnel that stretches out behind the tapestry. A heartbeat later, and Kyungsoo’s clambering into the passageway right up against him, the tapestry flapping shut behind him.

“How did you know about this?” Sehun hisses under his breath, Kyungsoo’s round eyes turning to him.

“Chanyeol showed me,” the Gryffindor whispers. “We used this passageway before, when--”

He breaks off, wide eyes on the entrance of their hiding spot. Hurried footsteps sound a few metres away, stopping, keys echoing in the silence. The Hogwarts caretaker had definitely heard them come this way.

Sehun glances over at Kyungsoo in panicked silence, the other boy only holding up a finger against Sehun’s lips. And Sehun dares not even  _ breathe _ , stilling completely.

Kyungsoo is still peering outside, through a crack behind the tapestry, index finger still on Sehun’s mouth. He too, is frozen in place, barely even blinking.

It takes Sehun a while longer than it should to feel Kyungsoo’s warmth, bodies crammed in there together, waiting for the caretaker to pass. In fact, he can feel Kyungsoo’s solid thighs right against his own, feel the heat of Kyungsoo’s skin even through their robes.

Eventually, footsteps fade away as the caretaker gives up and moves on to the next corridor, still trying to find students that are out past curfew. And Kyungsoo visibly relaxes, releasing a quiet sigh through his lips-- and only just noticing that all this time, his finger has not moved from Sehun’s lips.

His eyes land on his hand, against Sehun’s face, before flickering up to glance with his trembling irises at Sehun’s own eyes that blink right back at him. Kyungsoo lets out a short breath, which fans against Sehun’s cheekbone with how close they’re pressed together.

The passageway isn’t designed for multiple people, as Kyungsoo learnt when they hid here to eavesdrop on Minseok questioning Baekhyun in front of the trophy room. Chanyeol’s long limbs had barely fit, knocked messily into Kyungsoo and Jongdae. But now, even though there’s only two of them, the tunnel seems somehow even more squishy.

His round eyes drop down to Sehun’s mouth, Sehun’s oh-so-pretty mouth. And slowly, he lets his finger drag from Sehun’s lips, turning his hand until his palm gently cups one side of Sehun’s jaw.

The boy leans into the warmth of Kyungsoo’s hand just the slightest, eyelashes fluttering, and Kyungsoo’s breath catches in his throat. Though, he doesn’t seem to have any breath left in his lungs when he inches forwards painfully slowly.

And with his heart squeezing almost too tight in his chest and his stomach swirling, Kyungsoo’s lips brush against Sehun’s.

And it’s just like he expected-- Sehun’s lips are just as soft, if not even silkier than Kyungsoo’s wildest daydreams that have him drooling onto his textbooks in the middle of class. Sehun’s lips, Sehun’s entire mouth, everything about him is peach-flesh soft, almost downy-- and slippery, so much that Kyungsoo finds it hard to grasp reality with how his head spins until everything else including their uncomfortably cramped positions blur into a whirl, leaving Sehun’s supple mouth and nothing else.

Kyungsoo’s hand is stiff, nearly shaking, against Sehun’s cheek, but with a caress of his jawline he shifts his fingers to better cup Sehun’s face, other hand coming up to run hesitant fingers through blonde strands he has dreamed of touching. They’re silky, nearly as feathery as Sehun’s lips, which are perfect and pliant under Kyungsoo’s.

They part as Kyungsoo mouths slowly, Sehun’s eyelashes fluttering sweetly against Kyungsoo’s cheekbone.

And then there’s Sehun’s long fingers, arms coming up eventually to loop gently around Kyungsoo’s neck, only serving to pull him in that much more, that much closer. His fingertips dig into short black hair at Kyungsoo’s nape, so gentle even as Kyungsoo pushes even closer.

A shuddering breath leaves Sehun’s mouth in the split second where he’s separated from Kyungsoo, but that pair of thick lips are back and Sehun’s mouth is more than eager to accommodate. His lips fall open, kissing Kyungsoo back with equal desire, equal greed for more and yet equal shy restraint. He is certain his skin is aflame under Kyungsoo’s fingers, Sehun feels his entire face burning-- especially as Kyungsoo gently suckles Sehun’s bottom lip.

With the slightest hint of a whine from Sehun’s nose, he pulls Kyungsoo flush against himself, chest against chest, because no matter how close it never seems close  _ enough _ . Until only their school shirts and now askew ties are separating them, until Sehun is pretty sure he can feel the slightest hammering of Kyungsoo’s heartbeat. His own is certainly thundering loud enough in his rib cage that Kyungsoo must be able to hear it, there’s no way he can’t. It pounds against his ear drums, nearly drowning out the sounds of their lips separating before reattaching, and the rapid thudding of Kyungsoo’s heartbeat right against his own is what makes Sehun lose all hesitance.

He lets his lips part further, lets Kyungsoo’s open mouthed kisses steal all his air-- lets Kyungsoo’s teeth graze his bottom lip, lets Kyungsoo’s tongue slide forwards just the slightest. Though slight, it was enough to send Sehun’s heart into a frenzy, pumping completely out of rhythm and missing a few too many beats.

But then Sehun’s being pushed against the wall of the passageway, smaller hands on his broad shoulders. The tongue is back, tentatively taking a first taste of Sehun-- and Sehun feels the wall give way behind his back.

With a muted noise of surprise, he falls backwards onto his back, and his arms around Kyungsoo’s neck only serves to pull the boy down with him until Kyungsoo lies over him, mouths still joined, minds still lost in delight.

Another quiet hum from Sehun, appreciative at how Kyungsoo runs his tongue along Sehun’s lip, and Kyungsoo’s arms around Sehun’s shoulders tighten. Sehun stretches upwards for a last lap at Kyungsoo’s lips with his own before letting their mouths peel away from each other, letting their eyelids flutter open.

And despite Kyungsoo shifting back just the slightest, with Sehun’s heart still pounding wildly in his throat he finds that he still can’t breathe, only blinking open his eyes to watch Kyungsoo do the same. With chests heaving and reddened lips glistening, they find each others gazes, Sehun blinking rapidly in embarrassment while Kyungsoo tries to ignore the heat travelling steadily up his neck and past his ears.

A sudden shy chuckle escapes Kyungsoo, big sheepish grin on his face, and giggles threaten to break out of Sehun, smiling all the same right back up at the other boy.

But only now, with Kyungsoo finally managing to look away from Sehun and his brilliant smile and kiss-swollen lips does he glance around them, thick brows slowly knitting together in confusion. He pulls away, giving Sehun enough time to raise up from the ground where he had been lying on, since they seem to have fallen right out of the secret passageway-- and right into another one.

Or at least, that’s what it seems. Another tunnel that looks quite similar to the one they had hidden in stretches out in front of them, and Sehun sits up slowly, sharing a look with the Gryffindor boy still hovering over him.

Kyungsoo clears his throat, and Sehun’s voice crackles when he tries to murmur into the air between them.

“I think we broke your secret tunnel,” he blinks up at Kyungsoo, who chortles quietly in the silence of the sleeping castle.

“I didn’t know about this bit,” he explains, clearing his throat again. With another glance at Sehun, trying his best to pull his eyes away from those red lips, he raises his eyebrows. “Do you want to try it out?”

The tunnel is narrow, built for a single person to crawl through before it takes them down a steep flight of stairs. With both wands out and ‘ _ lumos maxima _ ’ on their lips, they clamber their way down, down…. Until they emerge from behind the frame of a large painting of a rather dignified-looking woman. She jolts awake, from where she was resting against the back of the large armchair she’s pictured in, as the boys swing the painting to the side and discover that those steep stairs had miraculously descended three floors. They find the entrance hall just in front of them, now on the ground floor-- and thankfully the woman in the painting managed to fall back asleep rather than scream at the two of them.

Perfect, for Sehun to quickly slip back to the dungeons.

Only now, with a few lit torches lining this hallway, do they actually see each other properly, after so long cooped up in the dark tunnel. And Kyungsoo’s mouth quirks up into a delighted grin at the perpetual flush high on Sehun’s cheekbones, reaching over to smooth down Sehun’s hair that he had his fingers in, while Sehun only silently drinks in the sight of Kyungsoo’s crumpled shirt and loose, crooked tie. 

And like the incredibly awkward teenage boys who just lost their first kisses they are, they stand there in the middle of the hallway, feet scuffing against the carpet and gnawing on lips. Both have a ‘good night’ sitting on the tips of their tongues-- neither wants to voice it.

It is Sehun who eventually reaches out shyly to grasp Kyungsoo’s hands in his own, leaning down slow and embarrassed to slant his lips over Kyungsoo’s again. He smiles against Kyungsoo’s lips, prompting the other to do the same, and they break away sporting identical grins on their faces.

“Good night,” they whisper at the same time, quietly giggling as they hesitantly release each other’s hands.

“See you tomorrow,” Kyungsoo adds in a low murmur, and Sehun only nods bashfully as he backs away towards the entrance hall. Past that will be the staircase leading down to the dungeons, and he should be able to slip into the common room from there.

Sehun nods back at Kyungsoo, still hesitant. “Go back,” he mouths, and a smile breaks out on Kyungsoo’s face.

Kyungsoo only heads back up the same passageway (awakening the poor lady in the painting again) once he watches Sehun creep through the entrance hall and disappear out of sight. Once in the darkness and silence of the tunnel, Kyungsoo clamps a hand over his mouth in a poor attempt to force down his stupid lovesick giggles, squeezing his eyes shut, beside himself in giddiness at the memory of how Sehun felt, how Sehun tasted.

 

True to his word, Kyungsoo does see Sehun the very next day, perched up expectantly atop his usual stool at their usual table down in the kitchens. In fact, Kyungsoo sees Sehun quite nearly every night, during which they both catch themselves a little more smiley, a little more giggly than usual. Kyungsoo’s ears are red more often than not at every single gorgeous smile Sehun flashes him, and Sehun can’t help the hand he’s got raised in front of his lips with his ceaseless giggles. Kyungsoo may not be the funniest guy, in fact he’s far from it, but just being in the same room as him and sharing knowing smiles and eyebrow raises is enough to coax out laughter from Sehun.

And every time, again, Kyungsoo holds Sehun by his tiny little waist that the Hogwarts school robes really do not flatter, and leans up to press a kiss to Sehun’s cheek or lips as an unspoken good night before they part.

  
  


Three o’clock in the afternoon finds Kim Minseok walking leisurely to class along the fourth floor corridor, nose buried in a book. At this time of the day, the hallways are strangely silent-- either students are still in class, or are studying in the library instead of roaming around the castle.

But this particular Ravenclaw enjoyed a long session of reading in his free time, before deciding to head down to his potions class earlier rather than later. At least now, he can take his time walking down from the Ravenclaw tower to the dungeons, without rushing.

Minseok hates rushing places. He likes his footsteps clipped, short and purposeful and he likes his strides long, but he hates rushing. Hurrying somewhere does nothing except leave him panting, hair out of place, flushed from running, and still feeling awfully unprepared. Instead, taking his time means Minseok can observe all the faces and all the portraits he walks past, and has the time to get lost in his textbook, or get lost in his thoughts. So when he can, Minseok will always, always be early.

A sudden thud, knocking straight into Minseok’s shoulder, something incredibly solid bumping right into him.

The book flies out of his hands, all his parchment falling in an uncoordinated heap on the carpeted floor.

“Oh no.”

There’s a very, very familiar voice but somehow he can’t quite remember where exactly he’s heard it. Minseok glances up, brows coming together just the slightest in frustration-- and immediately recognises a Gryffindor Kim Jongdae. Of course his voice is familiar. It booms out over the Quidditch pitch at every game. It taunted, teased Minseok across the grass in the transfiguration courtyard. It’s raised above every other voice, loud and sharp and ringing through the air at every meal.

“I guess neither of us watch where we’re going when we walk,” the Gryffindor grins, peering down at Minseok with his blinking brown eyes.

It’s a wide, curling sort of grin, corners coming up-- and the tone in Jongdae’s voice is equally lilting. Minseok only spares him a grunt as a response, hastily collecting his things, and wondering why in the world Jongdae is still standing there watching Minseok.

“Now, you just need to  _ accio  _ me and we’d be even.”

Minseok rolls his eyes.

“Save it,” Minseok grumbles, hurriedly dusting his robes off before shifting his grip on all his books and flashing Jongdae a sharp look. He can’t help but notice Jongdae’s undone tie again, loose ends hanging draped around his neck. His ever-so-present need to fix things, tidy things, makes him want to reach out to tie it for him, but he clenches his fingers into a fist instead. 

And without another word, Minseok sweeps past Kim Jongdae, back on his unhurried way to his class. But along with his footsteps against the carpet as he distances himself, Minseok manages to pick up the sound of Jongdae’s voice, though not too quiet behind him.

“Even if you didn’t  _ accio  _ me, I’d come to you anyway.”

  
  


Two pairs of feet thundering down the hallway, ten fingers locked together, robes fluttering, smiles widening, hearts hammering.

Kyungsoo glances over his shoulder, chuckling and so absolutely fond, just at the look on Sehun’s gorgeous face.

The boy bounces along after Kyungsoo, blonde hair swishing with his running as Kyungsoo leads them both down the fifth floor. A bright, sunny smile hangs on his thin lips, and Kyungsoo’s eyes can’t really leave it. Sehun’s excitement is contagious, and Kyungsoo can only hold his breath as he slows to a stop.

“Here it is,” he pants, glancing up at Sehun from beneath his eyelashes-- but the Slytherin only looks awfully confused.

He glances around the fifth floor corridor corner that they had stopped at, shaking pale strands of hair out of his face. “What am I meant to be looking at?” he asks eventually, coaxing a low giggle out from Kyungsoo.

A tug of Sehun’s hand, still joint tightly with Kyungsoo’s. The Gryffindor boy nods down, at the little unsightly statue they stand before, that Sehun had completely disregarded.

“This is the one-eyed witch statue,” Kyungsoo explains only watching as Sehun’s thin eyebrows raise even further in confusion. 

Kyungsoo only holds his hand, patiently showing Sehun to move the statue aside, revealing a trapdoor with a set of stairs descending into darkness. No explanation, no response to Sehun’s incessant questions as they travel through the dark passage, nothing-- until a wooden trapdoor sits over their heads again, at the very end of the tunnel.

Kyungsoo goes first, climbing up the small wooden ladder up to the trapdoor that seals them inside the passageway. “ _ Alohomora _ ,” he murmurs in the silence of the underground tunnel, speaking into the same air that he and Sehun breathe.

With a quiet click, the rusty metal latch of the trapdoor slides open, and Kyungsoo pushes against it.

His eyes blink furiously, totally unable to adjust to the light streaming in the small room from outside, but he clambers out fast enough to move aside, making sure there isn’t anyone here in the cellar as well. And as soon as Sehun follows in his steps, Kyungsoo quickly shuts the trapdoor, grabbing Sehun’s hand in his own once again.

They slink along the shadowy sides of the walls, peering around corners-- but as soon as they step out of the cellar, Sehun’s jaw instantly drops.

“Honeydukes,” he breathes, whipping his head around to stare Kyungsoo down. His gaze returns to roam the sweets shop in  _ Hogsmeade _ , like he couldn’t believe he was here.

“Baekhyun was the one who told me about this secret passage, actually,” Kyungsoo leans over to whisper right in Sehun’s ear, tugging him out of the sweets shop. Outside the sun blares right overhead, both boys squinting immediately after so long underground, shielding their eyes. But they stand there on the cobbled pathway, in the middle of the quaint little wizarding magical village, Sehun taking it in with undisguised surprise. “He showed me the one-eyed witch passage, and I wanted to surprise you.”

He trails off, all of a sudden incredibly shy. Kyungsoo glances down at their linked hands.

“I wanted to bring you out,” Kyungsoo mumbles. “As in a d-date.”

And instantly, that sparkle in Sehun’s eyes, the glimmers of excitement and the sunny curves his eyes turn into with the force of his smile, it all comes back to settle on Sehun’s face. 

“I can’t believe it,” Sehun eventually whispers, and the twinkling in his voice, the giggle from his throat, they’re all still there. And they all serve to squeeze Kyungsoo’s chest that little bit tighter, like someone inserted screws into his ribs and tightened them to cage his heart firmer. 

And he doesn’t know what to do with himself, when Sehun’s looking at him like this. Like he’s dumbfounded, like he’s just won the lottery, like he’s the luckiest man on the planet. So Kyungsoo opts for grabbing Sehun’s fingers with his own, leading him right back into the shop they only just walked out of.

It isn’t until after they’ve loaded both their arms with sweet treats from Honeydukes, finding themselves seated comfortably on the soft lush grass covering the hill that looks out over the shrieking shack that Kyungsoo speaks up. Though he’s been flashing endless glances over at the handsome Slytherin (who pretends he doesn’t notice, munching happily on a Honeyduke’s chocolate bar), Kyungsoo now sits a little straighter from his perpetually slouched form, clearing his throat.

His gaze is flighty, darting absolutely everywhere, and his tongue darts out to lick his lips. Only then does Kyungsoo ask shyly if Sehun will be his boyfriend with a quiet murmur and an adorable stutter to his words.

And Sehun lets his mouth stretch wide in a dazzling smile, leaning right over to kiss Kyungsoo and his chocolatey lips and whispers a big fat yes into Kyungsoo’s mouth.

Kyungsoo finds his fingers threaded within Sehun’s mass of silky blonde locks, mindlessly stroking his hair as he mouths against Sehun’s lips. Sehun only presses closer, shuffles into Kyungsoo’s space and against Kyungsoo so much that he may as well be on his lap.

Kyungsoo pulls away briefly, an arm coming down to wrap around Sehun’s slim waist, and that is all Sehun needs to actually throw his legs over Kyungsoo’s lap, inching closer even further to press his lips against Kyungsoo’s again, for  _ more _ . 

And even upon separating, Sehun seems to have no plan on moving from his position, with his legs over Kyungsoo’s, and face nestled right beside Kyungsoo’s. He’s got Kyungsoo’s arms around his torso, Kyungsoo’s taste on his tongue and Kyungsoo’s breath on his face-- he couldn’t be more content.

So Sehun flashes the other boy a quick, tight-lipped grin, all cheek and delight. He snuggles closer, resting his head back on Kyungsoo’s shoulder to bring his completely forgotten and neglected chocolate back to his lips.

What is chocolate for, when Kyungsoo’s kisses are even sweeter?

“Are you coming to the Quidditch game tomorrow?” Sehun hums, one hand absentmindedly stroking the front of Kyungsoo’s big red and gold sweater he had donned himself in today. He’s still got his school shirt underneath, the crisp white collar peeking out over the wide rim of the sweater.

He can feel Kyungsoo nod more than hear his noise of agreement. “Since all our friends are playing.” Kyungsoo shifts under Sehun’s gentle fingers for a moment. “Who are you going to cheer for?”

“Gryffindor, of course!”

“Why Gryffindor?” Kyungsoo dips his head down to peer at Sehun’s strikingly handsome side-profile, inching his face a little closer. “Wouldn’t all your housemates find it weird? The good old Gryffindor and Slytherin, enemies forever—” 

With a quick turn of his head, ends of blonde hair brushing across Kyungsoo’s face, Sehun smashes his lips against Kyungsoo’s again, a kiss intended to knock the breath right out of him and cut off all his words. But it goes beyond that, with the way Sehun moves against his lips, and the way Sehun’s mouth feels under Kyungsoo’s. It’s a kiss that immediately demands Kyungsoo forget everything they had been talking about until he’s so intoxicated he can’t think straight, until he can’t even form coherent words even if he tried. 

“Oh yes, enemies forever, indeed,” Sehun’s saying, only a hair-length away from Kyungsoo’s lips, eyes glittering in mirth as he breathes a quiet laugh against Kyungsoo’s lips. “I’m cheering for Gryffindor for you, of course.”

Kyungsoo barks out of laugh, shaking his head and pulling back from Sehun’s gorgeous facial features. “You don’t need to, you know I don’t care for Quidditch.”

“Even now?” Sehun pouts. “Even when your boyfriend is Slytherin’s star player?”

_ Boyfriend _ . Kyungsoo averts his eyes.

Boyfriend. How strange.

“Well, I only care about Quidditch when you play.”

“No house pride, I see,” Sehun jokes, only for Kyungsoo to gently elbow him in the ribs.

Sehun doubles over in mock pain, lying still on the grass, basically an open invitation for Kyungsoo to shift to hover over him. The Gryffindor only grins down at him, before leaning down to press his lips in kisses all over Sehun’s face, simply delighting in the way the boy shrieks, squirming underneath him, laughing loud and so, so genuinely; so, so sweetly. 

But Kyungsoo’s lips always, always, find their way back to Sehun’s pair, slanting over Sehun’s mouth and silencing his giggles. And with Sehun and his pliant lips underneath him in the middle of a hill of grass, breeze in their hair and not another soul around as they lick into each other's mouths again, Hogwarts has never seemed further away.

  
  
  


The flags of blue and red are standing tall and proud, flapping in the air-- the stands are full, the pitch is filled with chatter and excited voices, with one voice in particular drowning out all the others.

The dark haired boy clears his throat from the top of the tower he's perched at beside the Hogwarts headmaster and professors, loud and high voice easily carrying through the grounds to all the pairs of ears below him.

“And I see everyone is buzzing with excitement for today's game,” Jongdae chirps, shifting on the seat. He himself can't seem to sit still, or keep the enthusiasm from seeping into his voice. “Awesome, because so am I, and I don't like to be kept waiting! So without further ado, let's welcome our players for today everyone, starting with Gryffindor!”

And Jongdae is never discreet with his compliments for Chanyeol and how he looks in the Quidditch jersey with his bat, nor does he ever stop firing jokes at Baekhyun and Jongin as they walk onto the pitch in flurries of red capes. He whoops for the entrance of the Ravenclaw team too this time though.

“And we have our brilliant team of brains led by their swoon-worthy Captain,” Jongdae starts excitedly, even if Minseok marching onto the pitch barely even notices what he's saying.

And despite being much, much smaller than Choi Siwon in stature, Minseok holds himself with an unbeatable, indescribable aura that just serves to make him look almost equal in size as he stands opposite the Gryffindor Captain.

“Ah, Ravenclaw’s keeper, Kim Minseok,” Jongdae sighs into the microphone. “Looking ever-so-spectacular, but today even more so. I have never been so grateful for the keepers’ shoulder pads.”

The student body gives a collective chuckle, and down on the pitch Baekhyun cracks a smile, elbowing Chanyeol in the side at Jongdae’s words.

“The game hasn't started, but player Kim Minseok makes me want to call a foul,” Jongdae continues light-heartedly. “No one should be looking that pretty in those disgusting brown helmets.”

Suddenly he yelps, the sound ringing through the stands and everyone's ears.

“Okay, okay, I'm sorry,” Jongdae whines, loud and clear, pouting. “Apparently I'm taking too long. I'd argue that there's no such thing as spending too long appreciating good visuals but...” he clears his throat quickly, before finally commencing with announcing as the game officially begins.

And instantly, all players are mounting and soaring rapidly upwards into the air (Jongdae really couldn't help but point out Chanyeol’s attractiveness one last time, as the beater drags his bat in the air after him as he ascends). But it doesn't end there.

The moment Minseok reaches the goalposts that he shall guard, he spins around on his broom to catch a pair of round eyes on him. Then there's the sharp ring of the whistle, and all players from both houses leap into a flurry of movement. It means Chanyeol’s gaze on him is broken for a moment, but the redhead whizzes past Minseok at the goalposts, shooting a wink.

He lets the wind smooth  his red hair back, resting his bat on his wide, straight shoulders, and Minseok forcefully refrains from letting his eyes follow the Gryffindor as he flies.

“And immediately, Miss Song is onto the quaffle!! Gryffindor is off to a perfect start already, the chasers are heading towards the goals, Park Chanyeol is flirting with Kim Minseok, Song successfully passed the quaffle in a downwards drop to Byun--”

Minseok flushes instantly.

He isn't sure if Jongdae deliberately included his little observation of Chanyeol’s wink in his commentary to tease Chanyeol, amuse the audience, or distract him from the chasers trying to score and help his own house win-- but if it was aimed to fluster him, it worked.

Because Lee Hyukjae manages to score into the middle hoop in the split second that Minseok’s mind was certainly not on the game at hand, and the entirety of the Gryffindor stands rise in cheers as ten points are added.

“Ten points to Gryffindor, thanks to speedy Lee!” Jongdae cries, whooping. “And thanks to Park, Ravenclaw can walk away from this match with an intact Captain!”

The comment was directed towards Chanyeol, who didn’t hesitate to swing his bat, smacking away a bludger hurtling towards the Ravenclaw Captain at the goal posts. Amber shoots her fellow beater a dirty look. The bludger itself, deflected, hits one of the two Ravenclaw beaters instead, and Chanyeol chortles, immensely satisfied with his own aim. He turns to flash Minseok a sly, proud look from across the pitch, to which the Ravenclaw responds with an expression of offense. It was his teammates that Chanyeol redirected the bludger towards, afterall.

Though Hyukjae and Baekhyun whooped loudly, twirling mid-air, it looks as though that goal only solidified Minseok’s resolve-- because he's absolutely determined to not let another Gryffindor goal through. 

And accompanying the rising points for Ravenclaw house is the rising agitation of Gryffindor-- both in the players and in the spectators.

Chanyeol’s assumption that Kim Minseok will not allow them an easy win couldn't have been more accurate. The Captain is an excellent keeper, regardless of what kind of goal the Gryffindors tried to shoot.

Song Qian’s iconic curve quaffle shot? Blocked with a swing of Minseok’s broom, hitting it right back using the end of the broomstick. Hyukjae’s extremely fast shots? Minseok jumped into a starfish shape, hung by one hand and one foot from his broomstick. The impact of the quaffle after being thrown so hard and so fast against his arm would probably leave a bruise-- but still another goal blocked.

Baekhyun curses, still accepting a clasp of hands from Hyukjae when Minseok managed to anticipate Baekhyun’s renowned knuckle ball, a spiralling shot of the quaffle that is normally so effective at deceiving keepers. The Gryffindors in the stands can't sit still, loud discussions passed back and forth, arguments blurring into each other. The Gryffindors in the skies restlessly fly laps in the air, shooting their teammates undecipherable looks. It's now that Chanyeol looks over just in time.

A bludger reaching Amber, the other beater swinging her bat. The bludger changing course, towards the Ravenclaw Captain from behind, as he prepares to catch the quaffle from Hyukjae again. 

Chanyeol freezes.

“Minseok! Watch out!” he roars, whipping into action and immediately zooming towards the goalposts.

With the wind in his ears and adrenaline thudding in his veins, Chanyeol doesn't register Jongdae’s voice, Jongdae’s scream of “No, Chanyeol!” booming out over the speakers.

By the time Minseok turned around, more at Jongdae’s deafening shout than anything else, Chanyeol had reached him with an outstretched arm.

The Ravenclaw’s eyes widen-- a thick arm sweeping him to the side, two brooms colliding, Minseok being pulled into a sturdy chest and twirled around in mid-air. A solid thud, as the bludger crashes into Chanyeol’s back. Chanyeol letting go of Minseok, the force of the impact tipping his broom off balance; Chanyeol letting out a cry of pain before promptly slipping off his broom and falling down through the sky.

There's Jongdae screaming Chanyeol’s name into the microphone somewhere in the background, Minseok only watching it all with a dropped jaw and eyes widened in frozen silent shock. It’s only thanks to Jongin, Gryffindor’s seeker, for being the only one fast enough to dive straight down after Chanyeol’s long limbs and fluttering red Quidditch robes plunging towards the ground to messily catch him with both arms extended—though Chanyeol’s sudden added weight only means Jongin’s broom loses control of smooth flight and they spiral wildly down to the ground. Baekhyun manages to grab Chanyeol’s beloved broom before it fell too, saving it from breaking, and quickly dives after them.

Jongin and his injured passenger both slam into the ground with a jolt, rolling a foot or two on the grass. While Jongin immediately sits up, crawling over, Chanyeol lies motionless on the pitch, face scrunched, jaw tight.

There's commotion all throughout the stands, every student trying to catch a glimpse of the Gryffindor players, especially as all the teachers begin to hurriedly descend from their tower. And in front of the parade of professors comes Kim Jongdae, running over immediately and completely out of breath from getting all the way down from the commentator’s watch at the very top. He throws himself the last few feet and slides onto the grass, cradles Chanyeol’s face in his hands and worriedly brushes his messed red hair away, exposing the pain written all over Chanyeol’s handsome features. The professors are only one step behind him.

In a flurry of spells and flashes, Chanyeol is hovering in the air, the professors immediately transporting him straight to the hospital wing.

It doesn't take much to fix Chanyeol’s bruises and sprains and broken bones, and while the teachers have all swept off to attend to students and classes and the other quidditch players return to the team with Chanyeol’s broom safe in Baekhyun’s clutches, Jongdae still sits by his bedside in the hospital wing.

And he's still there, holding one of Chanyeol’s gigantic hands in both of his own hands, eyebrows still pointing upwards in worry when Minseok eventually walks in.

Minseok’s eyes, from landing on Chanyeol with his red hair fanned out on the pillow under his head, flit over to how both of Jongdae’s tiny hands try to wrap around Chanyeol’s wide palm and long fingers-- and Chanyeol quickly tries to sit up in bed before Jongdae pushes him down, the latter smiling at Minseok who only wears an expression of extreme guilt.

“Minseok,” Chanyeol manages to get out. His mouth twitches, threatening to break out into one of his usual cheeky, wide grins that bares all the teeth in his mouth for the world to see. “Guess I fell for you, back there.”

Jongdae snorts, but Minseok’s eyes just widen, blinking dumbfoundedly at Chanyeol as though he casted a confounding spell at him. Jongdae shakes his head in amusement, and Minseok glances in complete confusion between the two of them. Chanyeol was flirting with him, he was clearly flirting with him. Even back there on the pitch, with Chanyeol saving him from bludgers left and right—Minseok may not be an expert on the topic, but that was a lot of flirting.

He thinks back to the game, where Jongdae too had been obnoxiously praising both Minseok’s looks and even his flying throughout the match for the whole school to hear.

And if that doesn’t serve to confuse Minseok enough, Jongdae turns to him now and the first thing he says to Minseok’s complete and utter surprise is a sweet “are you alright?”

“Y-yeah,” Minseok splutters after his initial shock. “Thanks to Park, of course I’m alright.” He looks down at the beater, who smiles sleepily up at him. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Chanyeol murmurs quietly.

“He’ll be fine,” Jongdae grins, a hand coming down to smooth Chanyeol’s bright hair back, and chanyeol’s eyes flutter closed at that. “He’s just getting sleepy from the side effects of the potion he was given to heal his back.”

Minseok’s eyes flit back from Jongdae to the beater, lying against the pristine white sheets, with Jongdae’s small hand carding through his hair. “Why did you do that for me?”

“I wanted to,” Chanyeol mutters simply, as if the question itself was just that simple, trying his best to shrug. “I don’t want you to be hurt.”

Minseok’s eyes glancing briefly at Jongdae finds him smiling knowingly down at the tall Gryffindor, and his brows scrunch together in further confusion.

“But—”

“Don’t worry,” Another one of Jongdae’s gentle grins. “You don’t owe us anything.”

He smiles, handsomely, distractingly handsomely, and Minseok swallows down whatever it was that he was going to say.

It takes him a few moments to clear his head, to remember to tell them that the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw game was stopped at the incident, and they will have a re-match next week.

It’s only when the matron sweeps over to Chanyeol’s bed to check up on him, shooing Minseok away saying that now Chanyeol needs to sleep and he’ll be all better when he wakes up, that Minseok leaves. And on his way out, he turns to look back over his shoulder, momentarily confused as to why Jongdae isn’t being shooed away.

The Gryffindor still sits in that same spot, on the same chair, hand finding Chanyeol’s again as the taller boy seems to drift off. And now, Minseok remembers with a little  _ ah _ .

He remembers what Baekhyun told him.  _ ‘They’re something weird’ _ .


	6. expecto patronum (my greatest happiness)

Minseok blinks slowly, turning another thick page of yellowing parchment. The textbook is old, almost as old as the art of Defense Against the Dark Arts. There are little to no ink illustrations in the paragraphs and paragraphs of text, and the font is cursive and ancient. Even the lettering on the spine has nearly faded, and Minseok absentmindedly strokes the embossed words as he reads.

His eyebrows are furrowed in the centre of his forehead, and is startled out of his intense focus and into a full body jolt when a low voice sounds right next to his ear.

“What’re you studying?”

Minseok whips his head around, eyes travelling up, up, catching on a slight smile and a pair of pretty eyes. Chanyeol peers over his shoulder, blinking those big, bright eyes in nothing but childlike curiosity.

Minseok gives his eyes the liberty of wandering for a split second. Chanyeol looks as bouncy as ever, though only two days have passed since Minseok last saw him, pale and subdued in the hospital wing. “You're alright now?”

“Good as new.” Chanyeol plonks himself down on the armchair adjacent to Minseok’s, leaning over to peek at the textbook open on Minseok’s lap. “Patronuses, huh?”

His eyes flick up to Minseok’s face, cocking his head to the side-- and no, it's not childlike. It's puppy-ish, the way Chanyeol looks at him is like that of a curious puppy. It’s pretty damn adorable.

Minseok simply looks back down at the textbook instead of at Chanyeol, pretending to go back to his reading. “Can you make one?”

Patronuses, pure positive forces of energy that surge out from the caster’s wand-tip in the form of a shield or an animal that represents the soul of the wizard or witch. It’s advanced magic, so much so that many skilled adult witches and wizards have difficulty even creating a non-corporeal patronus, which is just wisps of silvery mist that float in the air. 

A protector, it guards the caster against dementors, creatures that have the skeletal frames of humans draped with black hooded cloaks. Creatures that have no eyes or ears or nose, only a mouth to suck on positive feelings and happiness, draining the soul from the body of the victim through the Dementor’s Kiss.

When Minseok nods at the question, Chanyeol sits up properly, scooting closer with a brightness in those big eyes of his.

“Really??” the Gryffindor gasps. “Can you teach me?? I want to know what my patronus is!”

Minseok has just barely processed the question, just barely opened his mouth to respond, but Chanyeol’s excited yelling gets them kicked out of the library.

Chanyeol throws Minseok an apologetic smile as the librarian snaps a warning at them, and the Ravenclaw sighs. He had to return the textbook, and he shifts his bag up on his shoulder-- but it looks like the timing had been perfect. Jongdae rounds the corner, lifting his eyebrows at the sight of Chanyeol and Minseok strangely standing around at the entrance of the library.

“He was meant to come and meet up with me to study,” Chanyeol quickly explains, first to Minseok then to Jongdae. “We got kicked out.”

“Of course you did,” comes Jongdae’s immediate exasperated sigh. “By this point I'm surprised the librarian hasn't put up an Anti-Chanyeol Spell on the door of the library.”

He turns, Chanyeol following straight on the smaller boy's heel as they head towards the staircase, until Jongdae turns to glance over his shoulder.

“Coming?”

And before he really knows it, Minseok finds himself following mindlessly up the stairs. Perhaps the Gryffindors are just returning to their common room-- in which case, why should Minseok follow?

But it clicks when Jongdae veers away from Gryffindor Tower, heading in the complete other direction as soon as they ascend the stairs. 

And when Jongdae stops in front of a blank stretch of wall in the middle of a neglected hallway, Minseok understands with a little gasp.

“The Room of Requirement,” his eyes widen, and Chanyeol turns to him, nodding excitedly.

“Have you ever been?”

Minseok watches Jongdae pace in front of the wall, shaking his head.

“Lots of people use the Room as their own private space,” Chanyeol continues. “For studying, for storage; for dates if you're Sehun and Kyungsoo. It's the place to go if you don't want to be interrupted.”

Minseok barely registers Chanyeol’s explanation, too busy staring in awe as Jongdae finishes his pacing, with a door materializing on the wall.

“I want to know what Sehun and Kyungsoo’s room is like,” Jongdae’s adding, as he twists the doorknob and pushes open the wooden door. “I don't understand how they have dates in a room.”

Only when Chanyeol turns excitedly to Minseok does he remember why they're even here in the first place. He had been too busy gazing around at the room, which resembles a library that's been shoved inside a large bedroom. Other than the gigantic bed sitting in the corner, almost every other crook and cranny is filled with bookshelves, towering stacks of textbooks and ancient texts. Minseok’s heart thumps in delight.

But Chanyeol is still waiting for him to teach him how to produce a patronus. And this he explains to a confused Jongdae, before the smaller Gryffindor is nodding vigorously in enthusiasm as well.

And so Minseok brandishes his wand, repeating the incantation and the wand movement, teaching them with a patience that surprises even himself. He explains tirelessly, to close your eyes and think of your happiest moment. That this will be hard to do in the face of twenty dementors, but Jongdae and Chanyeol’s faces are scrunched tight in concentration.

And Jongdae is gifted, because despite having his eyes closed as he focuses on his memories, it doesn't take long for his lips to subconsciously quirk up, undoubtedly thinking of something delightful enough to bring a mindless smile to his face. Minseok could only wish he knew what it is that makes Jongdae so happy.

Then, without prompting from Minseok, Jongdae lifts his wand with his eyes still closed, still lost in his happy thoughts.

“ _ Expecto patronum _ .”

It has only been a few minutes. Minseok watches in complete shock as something brilliant and ethereal shoots out of Jongdae’s wand tip-- and it's unbelievable, the dolphin that the light from the wand forms is utterly unbelievable. The amount of seasoned witches and wizards that struggle with the patronus spell means that the fourth year Gryffindor should not have managed it so easily, but Minseok’s very own eyes are witnessing Jongdae’s patronus swim through the air around the three of them, happily clicking away.

Jongdae lets out an exclaim the moment he opens his eyes, gaping in wonder, eyes shining with the blue light of his dolphin. He stares, smiling bright and beautiful up at the corporeal form of his happiness, and Minseok’s eyes can't quite seem to want to leave Jongdae’s face.

“You purebloods,” Chanyeol complains despite the big proud grin on his own mouth as he watches the dolphin, mesmerised. 

Jongdae immediately whines, turning to the other Gryffindor. “This isn't about me being a pureblood!”

And even Minseok watching can tell that clearly Chanyeol is only joking, with his big grin and light words, but there's a kind of fear in the way Jongdae peers up at Chanyeol, a kind of fear like he doesn't want Chanyeol to think of them as anything but equals.

“Alright, alright,” Chanyeol soothes, and Jongdae reaches out to grip the sleeves of his robes. Chanyeol places one giant hand over Jongdae’s. Minseok watches, fascinated. “But you have to admit, you've got quite a bit of talent.”

Jongdae pouts. “As if you aren't talented at quidditch.”

It takes Chanyeol ten or fifteen minutes longer, but Minseok watches and observes and Jongdae ceaselessly coaxes Chanyeol, murmuring comforting supportive words—it tweaks a little bit of a heart string in Minseok’s chest, but not necessarily in a bad way. And not necessarily in a way that Minseok dislikes, either.

And it takes Chanyeol longer, but Minseok only watches as Chanyeol smiles into his memories, reliving them with his eyes closed. He watches how just watching Chanyeol brings a little curve to Jongdae’s lips too. And Minseok finds that he wishes he could know what Chanyeol’s happiest memory is too.

It's unmistakable. Minseok wouldn't say he's surprised at all to see the creature that bounded out of Chanyeol’s wand tip. It erupts into the air, big paws flying in all directions, tail swishing madly.

Chanyeol breaks out into loud laughter, bright eyes following his dog patronus as it runs laps around him, deep barks sounding ridiculously similar to Chanyeol’s low voice. And even the animals themselves-- they interact and explore each other exactly like the Gryffindors themselves.

The dog bounds over to the dolphin twirling in mid-air, immediately chasing after it, running alongside Jongdae’s patronus and yapping loudly as they zip through the air. Minseok is shaken out of his awed shock as the two Gryffindors start tugging on his sleeve, Jongdae pouting and Chanyeol turning big, wide puppy-like eyes on him.

“Show us your patronus,” Chanyeol demands, childishly. Yet still, it brings the smallest grin onto Minseok’s face. He tries his damn best to wipe it straight off.

Nagging and begging and whining from the both of them turn out to be too much-- and with a gentle, sophisticated flick of his wand, Minseok’s very own patronus joins the two in the air, and Jongdae chuckles.

“Of course,” he laughs, Chanyeol cooing and nodding along in agreement. “Of course it’s a damn cat. I wouldn’t have expected anything else.”

A tiny tabby, fur silver and glimmering, This isn’t new. Summoning his patronus isn’t new.

He met his cat patronus years ago, when Minseok was only a fourth year-- currently Jongdae and Chanyeol’s age, come to think of it. And while Minseok grew into his frame and hard muscles made their way onto his previously stick-skinny body, his patronus is still as tiny as ever.

At first he had wondered if his bond with his pet cat was so strong that his pet cat Tan became his patronus-- but a closer look at his sparkly friend tells him that no, this isn't Tan.

His patronus is sleek-furred, silver and gray striped. It steps with a quiet kind of grace and agility through the air, and the blue eyes of the cat look astoundingly brilliant in the dark.

He is more than familiar with his patronus-- but  _ this _ , this is new.

Minseok watches as their eyes light up, their delighted gasps, Jongdae singing back to his dolphin and Chanyeol running around with his dog. Minseok and his patronus simply watch with identical wide eyes, taking it all in.

It has always just been the two of them. Dolphins are energetic, and far too playful. Minseok chuckles at how the dolphin patronus leaps through the air, before rolling over onto its back. Jongdae leans over to then rub at the patronus’ belly, the dolphin chattering happily right back at them.

Dogs are too chaotic and messy. Too much excitement for Minseok’s world of organisation and regulations. Minseok can almost feel his cat patronus recoil just at the sight of Chanyeol’s starry retriever romping around with a madly swishing tail and a long tongue lolling out of its mouth. 

Minseok blinks, catching himself in the act of staring. His patronus is hardly special to him now, but it’s difficult to ignore the combined excitement and wonder from the two Gryffindors. And it’s hard to look at them at all, because he can’t help but find the blue shine on Jongdae’s cheekbones gorgeous, and the stars that fill Chanyeol’s big, astounded eyes are stunning.

And then Jongdae’s turning his big blinding smile onto Minseok, waving his patronus over to have his dolphin wrap around Minseok’s patronus. The kitty flails, attempting to escape the much larger and much more slippery patronus to no success. It only gets worse when the dog bounds over, joining in by attacking the cat with licks. Minseok only watches, taking note of everything; the pursuit of his patronus by the other two, the way his own patronus runs from it all. The way the dolphin and the dog seemed to connect immediately.

He watches, learns, and gets even more confused. It all couldn’t be clearer, but the question still remains—why are they like this, when clearly they have each other?

  
  
  


“Finally, the return of Park-- worry not everyone, your favourite beater is still in one piece!”

Chanyeol chuckles to himself, turning to wave around the stadium, soaking up the cheers from Gryffindors resounding in the air. 

“Last week, Park Chanyeol from Gryffindor took a hit from Amber Liu’s bludger to protect Ravenclaw’s Captain, Kim Minseok,” Jongdae continues, voice blaring across the pitch. “He has since been healed by our wonderful Hogwarts matron, and is now in perfectly fit condition. So we have the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw re-match today, and tensions are high between both teams-- afterall, the suspense was never quite resolved the first time around.”

It’s just after the players whoosh into the air in all directions that there’s a prod straight in the small of Minseok’s back.

He halts in the air, from heading off towards the goalposts.

“Just because I fell for you doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on you again,” Chanyeol laughs cheekily from behind Minseok, red strands of hair blowing into his eyes in the wind whipping around them from being hundreds of feet up in the air. Minseok rolls his eyes. “The Quidditch Cup belongs to Gryffindor, after all.”

“We’ll see about that, Park,” is the only thing Minseok shoots back, before turning right around and flying off without a second word. 

This time, he swears, he will not be so easily distracted-- and certainly not by a handsome Gryffindor beater. 

“An excellent check, by Byun!” Jongdae cries excitedly, leaning forwards in his seat as his friend intercepts a Ravenclaw chaser just as she is about to pass the quaffle to another teammate. “And he slid right in there, intercepted the ball, and zipped right back out-- and Byun’s passed it to Song straightaway.”

It isn’t long before Song Qian passes the quaffle right back to Baekhyun in a quick, neat throw, shaken by the sight of Ravenclaw players closing in rapidly on her. Unfortunately, it only meant that the two Ravenclaw beaters fly right up to Baekhyun instead, slamming into either side of him.

The brunette curses, tightening his hold on the quaffle even as they sandwich him between them. So naturally, he’d only try to push them away from whatever body part isn’t gripping his broom or the quaffle.

“Foul! Byun Baekhyun foul!” Jongdae calls out, and the Gryffindor chaser groans. “Come on man, keep your elbows to yourself! No cobbing allowed!”

The Ravenclaws flash each other a look of pure glee. Baekhyun scowls.

And even if he makes up for it by trying to score later on, Kim Minseok managed to block the quaffle with an outstretched leg, leaving Baekhyun to curse under his breath again, even as Chanyeol flies up to him to land a few heavy pats on his shoulder. Song Qian, however, managed to throw such an excellent curve ball that it veered at the last second, something even Minseok didn’t expect.

“Ten points to Gryffindor!”

But Gryffindors can only hover and wait, watch, as Ravenclaw is being awarded a penalty, one of their chasers flying straight into the scoring area from the central circle. Hyukjae’s mouth twists into an expression of pure annoyance-- but not when Siwon successfully blocks the ball.

The Gryffindors erupt into roars, the players shooting Ravenclaw players looks of sly triumph.

“Gryffindor Captain Choi successfully blocked the penalty throw,” Jongdae comments over the cheering of the crowd. “Great, because that would have been incredibly awkward if he hadn’t managed to block a simple penalty ball--”

He cuts off from his rambling abruptly, squinting into the sky, before gasping loud and clear for the whole school to hear.

“What the hell, Kim Jongin has caught the snitch! The winner is Gryffindor!!”

The commentator lets out a series of undecipherable shrill screams, while the Gryffindor players down on the pitch do too. Chanyeol’s roaring, zooming up to a victorious Kim Jongin proudly brandishing the snitch in his right hand. The next thing Jongin knows he’s wrapped in a pair of long arms, Baekhyun quickly coming up in the air to join in, whooping loudly.

“As confirmation, Kim Jongin the Absolutely Wonderful, the Prodigy Seeker of Our Generation and my brother, had actually caught the snitch moments after the penalty,” Jongdae explains hurriedly despite the cheers, despite the fact that no one would be bothered listening to him. There were all either screaming in joy, moaning in disappointment or clapping for the sake of a good game. “Which is absolutely allowed-- seekers are allowed to pursue the snitch during and after a penalty. Just in case anyone is salty over Gryffindor’s rightful win.”

And with that out of the way, Jongdae makes his hurried descent down to the quidditch pitch grounds-- all while his younger brother is flying loops around the stadium, arms thrown wide open, absolutely enjoying the screams of students from all directions around him as he whizzes past for being the ace of the team.

Kim Jongdae, puffed out and red in the cheeks from pushing and shoving his way all the way down to the ground from the top of his tower bulldozes straight towards Chanyeol, tackling the beater into the grass. Baekhyun laughs loud and heartily over them, Chanyeol letting out a deafening cry in surprise as Jongdae’s weight pushes him right down onto the ground, arms coming up to wrap around Jongdae’s much tinier form.

And just as Jongin lands, Baekhyun immediately going up to him to swing an arm around the younger boy’s neck to pull him down to his height in an (arguably) affectionate headlock, Minseok touches down too. 

He steps off his broom right next to where Jongdae and Chanyeol stand back up, watching Baekhyun manhandle the team’s seeker. He smiles, holds out an ungloved hand.

“Good game, Park,” he says, genuinely, and Chanyeol seems to glow a little bit pink.

“It’s Chanyeol,” he mumbles shyly, taking Minseok’s hand—and just holding it and not shaking it. “You too, Minseok,” he smiles, and Minseok pauses.

He blinks at Chanyeol’s smile, at the way it makes little dimples appear on his round, adorable cheeks, and how his big ears are tinted red the same colour as his rosy lips and the colour of the Gryffindor Quidditch uniforms. 

Minseok pulls his hand back, flashing Jongdae and Chanyeol another smile before striding off, leading his team off the pitch. 

  
  
  
  


“ _ Accio Jongdae _ .”

With a deafening strangled shriek, Jongdae flies backwards.

His hand, held in Chanyeol’s hand as they walked down the third floor corridor, tightens-- and so Chanyeol finds himself being unceremoniously dragged along even if the spell was intended to only summon Jongdae.

They both come flying around the corner, crashing straight into a figure hiding against the wall with their hands still somehow linked.

The Gryffindors hurry to right themselves, straightening up, only for their eyes to widen. They gape, in complete disbelief. Disbelief that it's Kim Minseok that stares back at them, disbelief that it's Kim Minseok who had actually used a summoning spell on them-- though it should be less than shocking to Jongdae, considering their shared history of using  _ accio _ on each other.

Immediately, the Gryffindors glance at each other, sharing a quick look of bewilderment, unclasping their linked hands.

Minseok’s eyes dip down momentarily, undoubtedly noticing this, but sighs and simply sticks his hands in his pockets. When he finally speaks up to the two pairs of curious eyes peering at him, his words are soft, tone even more so. “I just want to know what the hell the two of you are doing.”

“Walking to class?” Jongdae tries meekly, but one look from Minseok shuts him up.

Minseok purses his lips, glancing between the two of them. “I want to know what you two want from me, and why you always seem to be so interested in me.”

“Maybe that's because we are?” Jongdae huffs.

Minseok’s eyebrows draw together.

“What?”

“We are interested,” Jongdae repeats, eyebrows slanting upwards even more than they usually do. Chanyeol stands beside him in embarrassed, shy silence. “I thought that much has been made clear enough.”

Only a moment of stunned silence follows. Minseok opens and closes his mouth, rendered speechless and in a whirl for confusion for once. Something he doesn’t understand-- for once.

And he wishes he could consolidate all the hundreds of questions bubbling at the top of his throat into one simple one, one question that would explain everything and answer all his problems. But Jongdae looks at him as though he doesn’t understand why Minseok doesn’t understand, and Minseok finds himself asking the same thing.

Jongdae and Chanyeol are interested. It’s not a difficult concept-- so why on earth has all his logic and rationalisation dissolved all of a sudden? Where on earth did his Ravenclaw intelligence go?

“Then,” he mumbles, blinking rapidly, and not quite looking at either Gryffindor. Chanyeol seems to be doing the same, big eyes flying in all directions but resolutely avoiding Minseok. Jongdae, on the other hand, has his gaze trained on the Ravenclaw. “What did Baekhyun mean when he said that you two are ‘together’?”

It’s the first and foremost thing that sticks out at the front of his thoughts. Why they’re both flirting with him when they’re taken by each other-- if Baekhyun was telling the truth.

Chanyeol finally looks up, eyes wide and plump lips falling open, exclaiming “he told you that??”

Jongdae groans.

If Chanyeol’s words weren’t enough as confirmation, Jongdae takes a moment before admitting that yes, they are together. Unofficially, and no one knows, but together in the sense of the word.

Chanyeol’s round eyes read across the confusion on Minseok’s face. “But we like you,” he randomly blurts.

Minseok’s eyes fly over to the taller boy, and Chanyeol’s gaze diverts immediately.

“We—we like you too,” he adds hastily, big ears rapidly turning as red as his uniform. “Like—as in—sorry if it’s weird—”

Jongdae reaches over, squeezing Chanyeol’s hand. It doesn’t escape Minseok, how Jongdae’s tiny little hands are barely enough to fit around half of Chanyeol’s massive hands. And it’s not exactly subtle, how they must have been together for long enough to know each other like the backs of their hands.

And when Jongdae turns to Minseok, an expression of utter seriousness on his face that Minseok has absolutely never seen before, something strikes against the interior of Minseok’s chest.

“We both like you,” Jongdae explains. “As well as each other. I know it’s weird, and you’re probably freaked out.”

Minseok’s frown deepens-- but Jongdae continues, firing on before Minseok could say anything.

“We also did not expect this to come so soon,” he gives Minseok a sheepish grin, a lopsided curl of the corners of his pretty lips. “We had actually both prepared Christmas gifts for you, even though there’s still a week to go. We know you never go home for Christmas, and neither do we—and we were actually going to approach you come Christmas, but… that clearly didn’t happen.”

That makes Minseok stop, stop and think. Jongdae looks flustered, Chanyeol even more so, especially at his little outburst of far more information than Minseok technically asked for-- but his questions hanging on the edge of his lips are still unanswered. 

“Why me?” Minseok murmurs into the awkward, silent air between the three of them.

“Because you’re hot?” Jongdae exclaims, like it’s the stupidest question he’s ever heard. “Clearly?”

“Well, also because you’re so nice and smart and perfect.”  Chanyeol continues, voice trailing off in embarrassment towards the end of his sentence. “Not just because you’re really handsome.”

Minseok rubs the back of his neck that’s heated up, glancing quickly between the two of them. Chanyeol’s shuffling his big feet, hands clasped in front of him like he’s speaking to the Headmaster, big ears tinged a bright red with his large round eyes blinking, flickering everywhere. It’s really cute, frankly. Jongdae’s playing with the ends of his tie that’s hanging around his neck, because for some reason they’re never done up properly.

It kind of makes Minseok want to pull him closer to fasten the tie properly. Jongdae has his bottom lip between his teeth, nervously gnawing on it, fidgeting on the spot—and now Minseok kind of wants to pull him closer to stop Jongdae from biting his lip as well.

And hurriedly, Jongdae excuses the two of them, exclaiming about the time and dragging Chanyeol along with him as they run off away from Minseok and down the corridor, presumably to the class that they’re both now late to.

They don’t speak between them as they make their way to charms with their hands clasped together, yet again. They don’t make a fuss, not even Jongdae, when the charms professor takes points off Gryffindor and gives both of them detentions for their tardiness. They simply take their usual seats, on the table behind Kyungsoo and Baekhyun, without a single word.

Their friends peer at them curiously, before looking at each other, shrugging. 

Occasionally Chanyeol leans into Jongdae’s shoulder, or Jongdae pulls the taller boy closer to his side as they walk through Hogwarts between classes-- but otherwise, the talking is left to Baekhyun and his big mouth for once. Kyungsoo’s eyes flit between his two friends, scrutinising their silence.

“Spill,” Kyungsoo says eventually, squinting across the dinner table. Jongdae and Chanyeol have been quiet, too quiet, all day ever since charms in the morning. None of Jongdae’s sharp remarks, no loud explosive laughter from Chanyeol. The world is unnaturally quiet, and Baekhyun has been fending off the silence all on his own and by this point the brunette has run his mouth dry and ran out of things to talk about.

And like a dam has broken, Chanyeol immediately releases the plug that keeps it all in. He tells them about Minseok, about their completely disastrous spontaneous confession to Minseok (“It wasn’t like we were trying to keep it a secret,” Chanyeol explains hurriedly as Kyungsoo’s eyebrows rise at the news of their relationship. “It just never came up, so we never explained!”)

They tell them everything, including about how they’re together. (“I mean, you didn’t really need to tell us, we kind of knew.”) And Jongdae reaching over underneath the dining table to gently grasp Chanyeol’s hand again isn’t exactly subtle.

But now, now that everyone knows about them, the affectionate gesture isn’t questioned anymore-- no teasing remarks from Baekhyun, no eyebrow raises from Kyungsoo. 

Chanyeol glances sideways, Jongdae blinking long eyelashes back at him.

Because now, they don’t need to hide their clasped hands. They don’t need to hide the long looks they occasionally share, or the lingering touches they leave on the other. 

Chanyeol grins, wide and beautiful, eyes glittering under the thousands of floating torches that light up the Great Hall.

“This was a mistake,” Baekhyun retches to the side, Kyungsoo with a look of pure disgust on his face while chugging his pumpkin juice as though washing out a foul taste in his mouth. “Can you two go back to being in a secret relationship? Let’s pretend this conversation never happened, you two are revolting.”

  
  
  


The first snow of the year, complete with a trip to Hogsmeade.

Freshly fallen snowflakes crunch under their boots, and despite the numbing coldness of the air Sehun’s blood is heated under his skin. Kyungsoo had reached for his hand as they walked along the pavement from Hogwarts to the little wizarding town, laced their fingers together, and shoved their joint hands in the pocket of his Gryffindor jacket. Sehun hasn’t stopped smiling to himself since.

Baekhyun rolls his eyes at them, a few steps behind.

“They're awful,” he complains, and a tall dark haired boy walking beside him nods vigorously.

“We should bring something back for Jongdae and Chanyeol,” Jongin adds, Baekhyun humming an agreement as they trudge along. Kyungsoo leans closer to Sehun ahead of them, speaking to him in soft, low tones and their two Gryffindor friends both make a face.

For once, Chanyeol and Jongdae didn’t want to come along to Hogsmeade, and considering the recent events with Minseok, their friends just let them stay at school and cuddle on the Gryffindor common room couch together.

Baekhyun doesn't forget to buy a packet of chocoballs for Chanyeol, both as consolation and as a temporary Christmas present before he can buy him a proper one. That might have to be after the holidays start, when Baekhyun returns home to his mother, and his owl will have to fly his presents to Jongdae and Chanyeol back to Hogwarts.

Jongin didn't know what to get Jongdae (“How do you not know? He's your brother!”), so naturally he just grabbed a packet of chocolate frogs.

“He used to collect the chocolate frog cards,” Jongin mumbles contemplatively, Baekhyun shooting him a look of disbelief from where he stands next to him in the queue in front of the counter in Honeydukes.

“Jongin, that was about three years ago. He did that in first year.”

“But it's not like he matured at all in those three years though, to be honest.”

Baekhyun snorts.

As soon as they walk out of the sweets shop, with their gifts for their friends and for themselves in hand, they both groan in unison.

Kyungsoo laughs awkwardly having been caught red-handed feeding Sehun a piece of chocolate fudge, the Slytherin chewing happily with chocolate smudged on his lips and a pretty blush sitting high on his cheekbones.

The four friends head to the Three Broomsticks to cheers to the holidays, not forgetting to mention Jongdae and Chanyeol even though they aren't there-- and with furious flushes on their faces, Sehun and Kyungsoo turn to each other to loop their arms together, doing a love shot of butterbeer with Baekhyun and Jongin’s shouts in the background.

They all laugh, even louder when Kyungsoo spills a little butterbeer with his shaking hands, ears blazing a bright red. Kyungsoo chuckles in his embarrassment, and Sehun leans over the table to boldly kiss the foam off of Kyungsoo’s upper lip.

And with Christmas just around the corner, it just means it's time for their annual exchange of presents as soon as they arrive back at the castle, all crowding around the  tables at their usual fourth floor study area. It has become almost tradition to gather and meet up at this spot, especially considering Sehun’s convenience, though their rowdiness as a group of boys only means the other students actually trying to study might have to move-- or flash them dirty looks until one of them (usually Kyungsoo) notices.

With a little smile on his thin lips and a hopeful glint in his eyes, Sehun slides his unwrapped present across the table towards Kyungsoo, and his boyfriend’s large eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. The Gryffindor gasps, immediately reaching out to bring the little potted plant closer to his face, and his face lights up like the lights on the tremendously massive Christmas tree standing in the Great Hall.

“A Moly plant,” Kyungsoo gapes, eyes traveling back up to Sehun’s face, blinking in stunned surprise. “Of my own.”

Though there are plenty of Moly plants grown in the Hogwarts greenhouse by the Herbology professor, for its ability to counteract enchantments when eaten, the little black stemmed plant with cute dainty white flowers is missing from Kyungsoo’s windowsill collection in their dorm room until now. And Kyungsoo exclaims with starry eyes that this is going to solve all his problems with pranks being played on him in the future.

He doesn't hesitate to then reach down, pulling out a very large package from underneath the table they sit around-- and the shape of the present gives it all away.

“No you didn't,” Sehun’s gasping, tearing the wrapping paper open, revealing a sleek, glossy and brand new Firebolt 134, the newest edition.

Sehun had previously only owned a hand-me-down broomstick from his older brother who also played quidditch when he was at Hogwarts, and though he never complained, this time he blinks rapidly, quite nearly tearing as he strokes the handle of the broomstick with the gold letting stamped into the side.

Baekhyun and Jongin laugh heartily at how the youngest boy is so overcome with emotion he doesn’t even know what to say-- but Kyungsoo cups Sehun’s face in his hands from over the table, smiling tenderly at him. With a gentle kiss on his exposed forehead, Kyungsoo craning his neck to reach, he whispers a quiet “Merry Christmas, baby,” and Sehun cracks his widest smile yet despite his subtle sniffles.

Baekhyun sighs jokingly about having no one while everyone else seems to all be in relationships, though the smile he directs towards Sehun and Kyungsoo is nothing but endearing and amused.

“Hey, you act like I don't exist,” Jongin complains. He reaches behind him, to presents he’d hidden behind his chair. And the moment he pulls a messily wrapped package out, so do Sehun and Kyungsoo, in perfect synchrony, all of them depositing gifts onto the table in front of Baekhyun and his jaw absolutely drops in surprise.

A beautifully thick, brand new arithmancy textbook from Kyungsoo, which Baekhyun hugs to his chest, and peeling the wrapping paper of the gifts from Sehun and Jongin reveal sweet treats from both of them-- a lot of sugar quills and even Bertie Bott’s every flavour beans just for a bit of fun.

Baekhyun’s happy grin turns mischievous, and Kyungsoo groans. He's not looking forward to Baekhyun daring them all to try the puke and bogey flavoured beans-- which tends to happen in their dorm room every time Baekhyun gets his hands on a packet of every flavour beans.

While Jongin receives his presents, a book on Quidditch gear and equipment from Kyungsoo (“Did you just go to a bookshop and get everyone's presents there?”), coconut ice from Baekhyun and a new set of Quidditch goggles from Sehun (which are the same set that the Slytherin seeker owns so now the two have matching flying goggles), Jongdae and Chanyeol set out from Gryffindor Tower.

It was the plan all along to give Minseok Christmas gifts before the holidays start, except the Ravenclaw caught them out a step ahead. But no way are they ditching their plan, even if Minseok has confronted them about it-- what else would they do with the presents they bought him?

And that's how they find themselves fidgeting on the spot outside the Ravenclaw Common Room on the seventh floor. It's only a corridor or two away from their own Common Room, but their task is considerably harder without knowing whether Minseok is actually in Ravenclaw Tower.

But then, as though a stroke of good fortune (or a stroke of fate, as Baekhyun would say), Jongdae spies Minseok ascending the last set of stairs and up onto the seventh floor landing. And like a complete loser, he immediately ducks around a corner and out of sight, dragging a confused Chanyeol in with him.

“Why are we hiding??” Chanyeol whispers, watching as his boyfriend squirms. He remains silent about Jongdae’s apparent nervousness, but he takes note. This information might come in handy another time after all.

“I don't know?”

So Chanyeol sticks his head around the corner, just as Minseok steps up to the great bronze doors of Ravenclaw Tower.

“Minseok,” he hisses. “Kim Minseok!”

Chanyeol cracks a smile at the confusion on the Ravenclaw’s face, gesturing to him-- and the moment Minseok nears Chanyeol brandishes out a large gift-wrapped parcel, nudging Jongdae to do the same.

The Ravenclaw hesitates, only for Jongdae to shove his present into his hands, Chanyeol even helping to start tearing open the wrapping. And Minseok gapes the moment his eyes catches on the pair of brand new keeper gloves that Chanyeol pulls out of one package. The pair he’s been using belongs to the school, and is absolutely disgusting from how many keepers previously used the same old pair-- he gives Chanyeol a wide-eyed look, because how on Earth did he know this?

But Chanyeol only flashes him a secretive grin, insistent as he shoves the pair of gloves into Minseok’s arms and urges him to open the second package-- and if Minseok gasped at the gloves, he could only blink rapidly, unable to believe his eyes, as he peels open the wrapping paper.

Jongdae and Chanyeol wear identical, pleased grins at the shock all over Minseok’s face.

“What the hell,” Minseok hisses, unraveling a neatly folded jacket, holding it out in front of him.

He turns shocked, wide eyes on the Gryffindors.

“No way,” Minseok says, but Jongdae only smiles wider, raising his brows. “This isn't a dragon hide jacket, is it?”

“Impressive,” Jongdae chuckles. “How did you know?”

“What the hell!” Minseok exclaims, as the two boys in front of him erupt in laughter. “Is it real??”

“Oh it's real alright,” Chanyeol supplies. Minseok stares down at the gift with eyes blown wide and a dropped jaw. These two never fail to surprise him. “We just thought you'd look brilliant in it.”

So at once he tries on the jacket, pulling it over his Ravenclaw robes, and feels his blood positively heat up under the combined gazes of the Gryffindors, at how neither Jongdae nor Chanyeol could take their eyes off of him. They're silent, for once, speechless as they drink the sight of him in, and Minseok only lowers his eyes in mild embarrassment.

“When did you even get these things?” Minseok asks, neatly wrapping his gifts back into the gift paper and holding it close to his chest.

“I have my ways,” is the only thing Jongdae says, with a little wink, so Chanyeol takes it upon himself to explain about the secret passageway they know of that leads from Hogwarts straight into the Honeydukes cellar at Hogsmeade.

Looking at the items in his hands and the bright eyes and wide grins on the faces of the two boys, Minseok feels his heart give a wrench. And the only thing he can do is turn, beckoning them closer from over his shoulder as he walks up to the great doors of Ravenclaw Tower.

Most students are off at Hogsmeade at this time of the day and really, it’s Christmas, who cares about house rivalry?

With one hand, Minseok grabs hold of the bronze knocker beneath a intricate eagle head protruding from the door, tapping it against the door three times. And he grins when the eagle head spits out a riddle in response to his knocking.

“ _ I only live where there is light _ ,” the bronze beak grates out, startling the two Gryffindors curiously looking on over Minseok’s shoulder. “ _ But I die if the light shines on me. What am I? _ ”

Minseok turns to look at the two of them expectantly, though his lips are upturned and hiding a smile-- he already knows the answer. He just wanted to watch Jongdae and Chanyeol rack their brains to figure it out, and yet they still come up blank.

With an amused chuckle, Minseok turns back to the door. “A shadow,” he says to the bird statue, delighting in the looks on their faces when the eagle head immediately turns into a door knob in response to the correct answer.

Still chortling, because Jongdae and Chanyeol are both still gaping in disbelief (“Do you have to answer a riddle just to enter your common room?? Merlin, life is hard as a Ravenclaw.” “Well, not if you're a Ravenclaw.”), Minseok gives a shove, and the pair of massive doors swing open.

And though the common room is not open to outside, a gush of air hits the boys as the wide, airy room comes into view. Chanyeol’s eyes rounden, fixing on the massive floor to ceiling windows that make up one whole wall of the common room, and the distant peaks of mountains that are visible through the window.

His gaze, following the enormous windows, travel up, and the tall redhead lets out a gasp at the dome ceiling that arches overhead, coloured a painted night sky and dotted with winking stars. It's almost like the Great Hall late at night on a cloudless night, with its enchanted ceiling depicting the view of the sky.

But Jongdae turns his head, gaze sweeping across the entirety of the Ravenclaw Common Room. It's circular and wide, wider than any other room at Hogwarts. It’s airy enough to almost look empty, with everything neat and tidy and leaving large amounts of space-- quite unlike the clutter and organised mess of the Gryffindor Common Room. Bookcases line the perimeter of the entire room, from floor to ceiling, with books old and new, thick and thin, jammed into the shelves. There are textbooks of all sorts lying around the armchairs and study desks and coffee tables too, and really there probably isn't another room in the school so full of books aside from the Common Room and the Hogwarts Library.

It's one of the coffee tables that Minseok leads them towards before he runs into the boys dormitories, off to the side of the Common Room. Chanyeol obediently sits on the sofa, big eyes darting everything in silent wonder while Jongdae stands to browse around the sky high bookshelves lining the walls. He occasionally makes a noise of surprise at finding a rare book or hum of acknowledgement in the otherwise silence of the Ravenclaw Tower-- it seems as though Minseok was right. All other students seem to be out enjoying their last Hogsmeade weekend before the Christmas break. Either that, or they're all cooped up in their dorms studying. Which is possible, considering Ravenclaws.

Minseok returns to the Common Room holding a large but simple chocolate cake in a box, setting it down on the coffee table in front of the sofa Chanyeol sits at.

“This is too much,” Jongdae exclaims when Minseok gestures between the boys and the cake. “We should all share it--”

He's cut off by Minseok indignantly looking over at the dragon hide jacket that he had taken off and carefully wrapped back in the wrapping in fear of dirtying it, placed next to Chanyeol on the couch. 

“ _ This _ is too much?? Your gifts would’ve cost a fortune, Jongdae!” he glances down at Chanyeol, still sitting in the exact same spot. “And you, Chanyeol!”

“Glad we’ve gotten past the stage of calling each other by our last names,” Chanyeol says around a mouthful of cake before getting to his feet. “Have some cake too,” he adds, before suddenly ambushing Minseok with a swipe of frosting on his cheek.

Minseok gasps, watching with wide eyes as Jongdae and Chanyeol double over in laughter before he too, lets a little grin form on his lips. They wave Minseok over for spoonfuls of cake that Minseok allows Chanyeol to feed him, and there’s a certain unexplainable warmth in his chest—it’s a little spark, but it’s enough to warm him from inside, enough for his cheeks to even start tinting pink.

And with Jongdae sitting pressed right up against him, thigh against his own, on their tiny shared couch, Minseok allows himself to be drawn to that necktie, to lose himself in his perfectionism. He reaches out to fix and tie the loose ends for Jongdae after what seemed like an eternity of itching to do so, and tries his best to ignore Jongdae’s utterly pleased smile.

But Minseok can't avoid talking about the elephant in the room forever.

“I know the difference between feeling flattered and returning feelings,” he starts, slowly, quietly as he fiddles with his hands in his lap. “I don’t know… I’m grateful you saved me during the match but… I’ve just never been in a relationship, let alone with two people. I’ve never done this before.”

“That’s ok,” Jongdae says in absolute calmness, shrugging, sucking a bit of frosting off a finger. “No one said you needed to have previous experience to get this position.”

“But it is a bit daunting,” Chanyeol pipes up helpfully instead, and Minseok nods, sheepish. “Don’t worry about it, it’s nothing to be ashamed or concerned about. We’ll take care of you.”

“And stop talking about Chanyeol saving you,” Jongdae adds, before his voices softens into something much gentler, much more feather-light and soft, without the sharp, high edge that it usually has. “I’ve told you, you owe us nothing.”

“Well now I do, for the gifts!”

“You got us a cake in return!”

“But that’s only one! There’s two of you!”

“A date, then,” Jongdae blurts out, before grinning happily. “If you want to make it up to us, all we ask for is a date.”

Minseok’s unsure eyes flicker between Jongdae, Chanyeol, Jongdae, Chanyeol—and the longer it takes him to respond, the more Chanyeol fidgets, and the more Jongdae bites down on his bottom lip.

“Okay.” Jongdae and Chanyeol’s heads snap up simultaneously, both blinking wide surprised eyes at Minseok. “A date it is.”

  
  


The next few days before the Hogwarts Express arrives passes in a whirl of Christmas gifts, packing, and last minute  holiday homework from certain annoying professors (namely Transfiguration and History of Magic). 

Not for Jongdae and Chanyeol. They stand on the platform at Hogsmeade saying their goodbyes, since most of the students and teachers go home for the 2 week break. But it seems as though they will be joined in the castle over Christmas this year.

Minseok glances over at the group of Gryffindors from a small while away from where he is, too, watching his friends board. And with a turn of Jongdae’s face in his direction, Minseok catches his eyes, making his way over to the two of them.

“Not going home for the holidays?” Minseok has to speak over the loud chatters and shouts echoing around the castle, as well as the sounds of the train’s engine grumbling away as it waits for the last struggling students.

“Nope,” Jongdae responds, lips making a loud pop in the frosty air. The weather spiralled down into winter in no time at all, and there's the sheen of ice over the concrete of the station platform that hasn't melted yet at this time of the morning. “My parents don’t have a break from work, so there’s not much point in me going home.”

“Where do your parents work?” Minseok asks, intrigued.

Jongdae only gives him a sly look, blinking those long eyelashes slowly at him. “Well, if you want to know, come with us to the Three Broomsticks.”

It takes Minseok a moment to process it, but when he does, a laugh breaks out on his face. “Are you really bribing me to hang out with you two?”

“Of course,” Chanyeol responds instead, having finally finished hugging Baekhyun and Kyungsoo, waving them off. He waves at them again, through the window of the train as he continues. “Whatever it takes for you to spend some time with us.”

“I’m not repulsed or anything by you two you know,” Minseok laughs again in disbelief. “I’d happily hang out, bribes or not.” He takes in how both of them have quietened, turned their heads to peer at him in a curious way as though they can’t quite believe what they’re hearing. “Though, I do want to hear about your family,” Minseok adds, nudging Jongdae’s arm next to him, and the Gryffindor boys burst out into little giggles.

As soon as the massive train roars into life, wheels churning slowly as it pulls out of the Hogsmeade station, Jongdae turns away from watching the train leave to grab Chanyeol’s hand as they head off towards the Hogsmeade village—he looks behind him, and smiles wide and absolutely beautiful as he moves back towards Minseok, grabbing his hand too with his free one.

“Don’t want you slipping on the icy platform,” Jongdae says with a shine in his almond-shaped eyes, and Minseok chuckles.

“I thought you’d say you wanted to warm your hands.”

“That’s a pretty good excuse too.”

It doesn’t take long after they trudge through the village to shuffle into the Three Broomsticks that Jongdae finally answers Minseok’s question.

Sitting in the dimly lit little pub that’s almost drowning in tinsel and dingling golden bells and shining baubles hanging everywhere on the outside and interior, Jongdae slowly speaks up, revealing that his parents practically live in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic.

“So do my parents,” Minseok pipes up, reaching over the table to Jongdae sitting opposite him to tie his red and gold tie again-- why is it always undone?-- and he really couldn’t bear to look at it messily hanging over Jongdae’s chest for another minute. “Or my mother, at least. His mother single-handedly raised him as a single parent, so he’s never really been exposed to the muggle world.

“Well,” Chanyeol says. “both my parents are muggles,” he chuckles, with one of his usual big grins. Minseok tries searching the boy’s face for anything that gives away a little bit of shame, embarrassment, awkwardness—he comes up blank, except for a sudden light of excitement in chanyeol’s eyes. “Oh I should show you my muggle stuff!”

“You should!” Jongdae agrees, before turning to Minseok. “It’s super cool.”

While Chanyeol fumbles with his robes looking through multiple hidden little pockets, Minseok leans closer to the two of them on the rickety wooden table between them, frowning at Jongdae. “Wait, isn’t Kim Jongin your younger brother? He’s not staying for Christmas?”

“No, he’s going to stay over at Baekhyun’s place this year. Normally he visits his best friend Sehun for Christmas, but this year Sehun’s bringing home his boyfriend Kyungsoo, so Jongin needs to leave them to it,” Jongdae adds with a gentle little smile.

Conveniently, he leaves out the part about himself-- the part where he always stays behind in Hogwarts over Christmas while the majority of students have left, just to keep Chanyeol company.

Jongin, not liking being home by himself without Jongdae or their parents, prefers spending the holidays at a friend’s-- but Chanyeol doesn’t go home to his muggle family. And Jongdae would be damned to leave him to spend Christmas alone at school.

“Aha!” Chanyeol exclaims, pulling out a small, rectangular metallic object. He flips the lid open, and presses down on a little black step with his thumb. A single small burst of flames erupts from the object, and Chanyeol grins that big, wide boyish grin of his. “Non-verbal, non-wand spell casting,” he says with a wave of his hand. “Impressive, right?”

“Don’t listen to his bullshit,” Jongdae rolls his eyes, stealing Minseok’s attention. “He likes to trick everyone into thinking muggle objects are magical things that he invented.”

Minseok only looks back and forth between Jongdae, Chanyeol, and the strange little fire-producing object. If Chanyeol didn’t create the fire, then how--?

“It’s called a lighter,” the tall Gryffindor slides it across the table for Minseok to play with. “Careful.”

So Minseok takes the lighter in hand, feeling the cool metal of it between his fingers, holding the weight of it in his palm. The way it fits in his hand is comfortable-- just like the way Jongdae’s hand felt in his own, back there on the platform of the train station. 

It felt comfortable. Sure, Jongdae’s hand was warm and soft and everything wonderful-- but above it all, it made Minseok feel comfortable. Like he wouldn’t ever get sick of it even after years of holding that hand. And he had let Jongdae grab his hand, it was completely mindless, even. Just like now, how he mindlessly spins the lighter between his fingers, talking about their families between the three of them over their large butterbeers.

Everything is comfortable. The presence and company of the two Gryffindors, the way Minseok slots seamlessly into the conversation, the way the three of them smile at each other over the rims of their drinks, talking about personal things in their lives, clinking their cups together in cheers to Christmas. The rare smile that pushes up Minseok’s cheeks and exposes his pink gums comes easy to him at this moment, this very moment sitting with Jongdae and Chanyeol in a squishy corner of the Three Broomsticks.


	7. accio (come to me)

A fresh flurry of tinsel sprinkles down all over the gigantic Christmas tree standing in the Great Hall, and the tiny golden bells hanging everywhere on the branches give a merry little jingle. The skies above are cloudless and perfect on the ceiling of the Great Hall, bewitched to perfectly reflect the actual weather outside, and as two boys thunder in through the entrance of the Hall, another dusting of gold and red tinsel rains down on them from the doorway.

The tables at breakfast had been depressingly empty, much too empty for Christmas Day, but by now the tables have been cleared of all food.

With a sudden whoosh in the air, the boys look up to the grinning face of Sir Nearly Headless Nick, swooping down through the air.

Jongdae waves cheerfully at the resident ghost of Gryffindor house before looking away bashfully when Nick points to the sprig of mistletoe hanging over the doorway where the two stand.

But then the ghost peers over their shoulders, gives them a knowing smile, before vanishing into one of the walls of the Great Hall, undoubtedly going to reappear through the wall elsewhere in the castle. It's one good thing about being a ghost-- being able to travel through anything, really. There's no limit without a physical body.

Jongdae and Chanyeol turn, before both their faces light up entirely, like how the large star atop the Christmas tree magically glows brighter and brighter throughout the night, lighting up on its own thanks to the Charms professor.

Their wide, joyful smiles find their way towards the boy donned in blue robes, hazel hair perfect and combed and big eyes blinking shyly at them.

And the very first thing Minseok notices is that Jongdae’s tie is, for once, not making him itch all over with a need to tie it. It's actually done up today, undoubtedly with Chanyeol’s help, and Jongdae chuckles quietly when he catches Minseok’s expression of pleasant surprise.

“Merry Christmas,” Chanyeol cuts in, whipping out a bouquet of candy flowers that he had configured the night before-- that he had stayed in the kitchens with the house elves practically all night to do. He has Kyungsoo to thank for that, they were more than happy to help as soon as he mentioned being Kyungsoo’s best friend.

Minseok’s eyes widen, however, turning an incredulous gaze on the tall Gryffindor. “Chanyeol no,” he groans, even as Chanyeol shoves the candies into his hands. It's not a large bunch, thankfully, as Chanyeol’s time and skill is limited and frankly didn't think it would be so hard.

“It's not much,” Chanyeol chimes instead, vigorously shaking his head when Minseok so much as looked like he felt bad for it. “I would cook back home for my parents and sister, but I overestimated my abilities.” he rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment, adorable cheeks glowing pink just the slightest.

It's the same colour as some of the candy flowers, Minseok marvels internally. The flowers are a great array of different shades of pink and red, some being in a deep rich purple while others are nearly transparent, with only the slightest dusting of colour. Minseok isn't sure if he would ever touch them.

“I thought magic was supposed to help with cooking,” Chanyeol continues, loud voice echoing around the Hall. “But in reality, it was far more difficult than I thought it would be!”

“But you've given me Christmas gifts already!” Minseok protests, staring in wide eyed disbelief at the bouquet, only for Jongdae to let out a loud bark of laughter.

He turns to Minseok, holding out a white box tied with light blue ribbon. Opening it reveals rows of dainty little chocolates, and Minseok looks back up at a shrugging Jongdae.

“Since you insist we gave you Christmas presents already, Merry First Date then,” he grins, the curve of his lips lighting up his face and putting a shine in his eyes.

It makes a laugh bubble out of Minseok’s mouth as well, but this time he came prepared.

“The cake was pathetic,” he explains as he shoves parcels into the arms of the Gryffindors. “These are your Christmas presents.”

“Please, the cake was good--” Chanyeol cuts himself off with a loud gasp.

Jongdae only watches on curiously as Chanyeol digs his hand into the large tall box that Minseok gave him, letting out a hiss of pain.

“Ow!” he winces, before pulling out something tiny and blue and writhing in his hands. “Look at it! It's so cute!”

He cradles the slithering thing in his hand, gazing at it in absolute awe, even when the figurine spits a little burst of fire at him.

“Incredible, this is incredible,” Chanyeol says with his eyes blown wide and big smile never leaving his lips. He puts the miniature dragon figurine back in the box, where Jongdae could hear other sounds of snapping and high pitched crying coming from. “Eight different species, blimey, those must have cost a fortune.”

Chanyeol lets out another gasp upon discovering the little information sheet that comes with the toys, and his eyes are positively sparkling. There's nothing he loves more in the wizarding world than magical creatures.

There's the sound of a box opening, and Minseok turns to watch as Jongdae smiles upon opening the large, beautifully decorated box that he was given.

“Canary creams?” Jongdae gapes.

“I thought you might perhaps find a good use for them.”

“Yes!” Jongdae exclaims happily. “Totally sending some of these to Jongin! These aren't sold anymore, how did you get your hands on them? Thank you, Minseok.” He adds warmly, blinking his long eyelashes at Minseok, who smiles back quickly, before looking away lest he catch the same expression Jongdae wears. That infatuated, delighted expression.

“You guys need to stop giving me gifts,” he says instead, and Jongdae laughs, pulling him out of the Great Hall with one of his tiny hands wrapped around Minseok’s. Chanyeol bounces alongside them, skipping with his long strides and with an arm wrapped around Jongdae’s shoulders.

And before Minseok could even think to question where they're taking him, they stop in front of a statue of Gregory the Smarmy, in the middle of the corridor, and Minseok glances around in confusion. 

But with an exaggerated flourish, Chanyeol reveals the secret passage the statue hides with a big, proud grin.

“This is the passageway that leads straight into Hogsmeade,” Jongdae explains, eyebrows doing a curious little wiggle. “Which is also what we used to buy your gifts.”

And then, before Minseok could say anything in response, Jongdae is descending into the tunnel, disappearing into the gloom.  _ Gryffindors _ , Minseok sighs inwardly as Chanyeol gestures for him to follow.  _ Always so keen to dive head first into the unknown _ .

As not only a Ravenclaw but also a sensible and well-behaved star student who never once considered breaking school rules (“Are we even allowed to go to Hogsmeade during the holidays?” “Why do you think we're using a secret tunnel, Minseok?”), Minseok would have had to think for at least a few days before even attempting something like this. He would have to make a complete mental list of the pros and cons, and weigh out the value of such an expedition, and whether it is worth breaking the rules-- and of course, how to complete the task as secretive as possible, to avoid being caught and landing himself in detention.

The two Gryffindors, on the other hand, have either gotten desensitized to detentions or they're way too familiar with this route to Hogsmeade, because they navigate the dark passage with perfect ease, chatting the whole way while Minseok would admittedly be beside himself in nerves.

But then his surprise at emerging in the Honeydukes cellar, the shine of amusement in Jongdae’s eyes as he pulls Minseok out of the sweet shop, it makes it all worthwhile. The sun streaming down onto his face, the chatter and noise of the Hogsmeade shops, the proud grin on Chanyeol’s face. Perhaps it’s not so bad to break the rules once in a while.

Minseok is still admittedly wrapped up in shock at finding himself here in the middle of the quaint little wizarding town, standing on the pavement in front of Honeydukes, when Jongdae grabs one of his hands in his own and pulls him away from the sweets shop. With Minseok in tow and Chanyeol leading the way, the Ravenclaw’s eyes glancing around in wonder at all the shops they pass lined up along the street, they turn down away from the main street of Hogsmeade. The town isn’t so busy on a day like today, with no Hogwarts students running through the streets. Minseok looks around at everything almost as though he’s seeing it all for the first time, barely even registering Jongdae’s hand around his own. It has been a long time since he’s come to Hogsmeade, after all. He much prefers spending weekends in his dormitory with his usual cup of coffee, reading up on his ancient runes and alchemy textbooks while all other students are at Hogsmeade.

But even the last time he came, probably in fourth year actually, the streets were filled with milling students-- the town wasn’t nearly as quiet and calm as it is now. And Minseok likes this gentle, comforting silence, both on the streets and between the boys. They don’t talk as they walk on either side of Minseok, and the stillness of everything brings a smile to Minseok’s lips. It’s perfect.

The coffee shop the boys pull in front of is on a smaller street that branches off from the main street, dimly lit on the inside with gold lettering on the window spelling out the drinks and treats it has to offer. It’s hidden in a little corner, squished between a clothes store and a restaurant that isn’t open at this hour, and it’s dainty and pretty, and Minseok can’t help but be fascinated.

“You practically only drink coffee,” Jongdae explains, and Minseok can’t tell if he’s fascinated by the shop or by the shy look on Jongdae’s face, or the expectant gleam in Chanyeol’s eyes, his lips pulling up into a smile that doesn’t seem to leave his face.

They sit with their coffees (Chanyeol orders a hot chocolate instead), chatting endlessly over sweets and cakes Jongdae ordered along with their drinks. Minseok smiles, eyes focused on Chanyeol as he rambles on and on about phoenixes, giggling when Jongdae points out Chanyeol’s weird affinity for fire related magic.

Chanyeol even pulls out his lighter again, waggling his eyebrows with his claim of “it’s fire magic”, except this time he’s given light-hearted punches from both Jongdae and Minseok.

Minseok watches as Jongdae picks at the cakes, only going for the fruity sweets, while Chanyeol seems to simply inhale everything. Fascinating, he smiles secretively to himself, hidden behind another sip of coffee.

Chanyeol even takes a sip of Minseok’s coffee, before making an absolutely devastated expression, immediately going back to his hot chocolate, and Minseok and Jongdae explode in laughter all over the table between them.

“Here, try mine,” Jongdae offers, Chanyeol throwing him a dirty look.

“No thanks, stop trying to ruin my life.” 

 

By the time they pull themselves out of the conversation they were so engrossed in, it was late afternoon already and with a gasp, Chanyeol quickly drags them out of the cafe with a long arm looped around one of Minseok’s this time. They stop by the Three Broomsticks, Chanyeol taking them to the back of the dingy little pub just in time for a live performance of old fashioned Christmas carols by a wizarding band in the middle of the place. They sit at a table in the corner, watching with their butterbeers and cheering along-- Minseok takes a while to think of the last time he properly went out and enjoyed himself, enjoyed good company, before concluding that he simply can’t remember. Jongdae sways and sings along to the music, and Minseok turns big, surprised eyes onto him as soon as his ears pick up Jongdae’s singing voice.

“He’s part of the frog choir,” Chanyeol leans right into Minseok’s personal space, right up against his side, to whisper in his ear so his voice isn’t lost in the loud music. And as Chanyeol pulls back Minseok just watches, observes, how the taller boy’s eyes glaze over as he watches his boyfriend.

Jongdae’s singing with the band with a wide smile on his lips, clapping to the beat, his stunningly melodious voice loud and crystal clear and echoing in Minseok’s mind. Chanyeol’s bottom jaw hangs unhinged the slightest, big round eyes fixated on Jongdae, lost in the sight and sound of him and deaf to the rest of the world.

Minseok drags his gaze away from the two of them.

By the time they return back to the castle, there is practically no one left at the dining tables in the Great Hall, and they’d only just made it in time before the end of dinner.

And perhaps it’s their subconscious, or their secret desires from somewhere deep down in their hearts, but all three pairs of feet turn away from both Gryffindor Tower and Ravenclaw Tower upon reaching the seventh floor after ascending staircase after staircase-- instead, they find themselves swinging the door open to the Room of Requirement again, after waiting for Jongdae to pace back and forth in front of the wall that hides the magical room. 

The Room is fully equipped, with a large bed that easily fits the three of them, and Minseok chances a side glance towards Jongdae, wondering whether he wished for it deliberately.

While Chanyeol throws himself onto the bed with a long sigh, getting comfortable and taking off his outer black robes to throw in a heap on the rug underfoot, Minseok wanders closer to the fireplace at the other end of the room, neatly folding his clothes and placing them in a pile on one of the armchairs scattered around the bedroom-like space.

“It's getting late,” Jongdae murmurs, pulling his tie undone. “We can share the bed.”

Minseok frowns for a split second before Chanyeol rolling over the bed gets both their attention. “It's certainly big enough,” he says, muffled into a pillow. He buffs out a chuckle. “Harry Potter used the Room of Requirement in the Second Wizarding War to train Dumbledore’s Army. We use the Room of Requirement to have a sleepover.”

With a laugh that's breathy and quiet for this time of the night, Jongdae turns towards the bed, beckoning Minseok.

“Are you sure?”

The Gryffindor blinks. “Of course. We can't have you sleeping on the couch when the bed is big enough for even all of Dumbledore’s Army.”

“The couch is still comfortable--” Minseok is cut off by a yelp as Chanyeol fishes his wand out from an inner pocket of his robes and pointed it at Minseok with a sleepy mumble. “ _Accio_ _Kim Minseok_.”

The poor Ravenclaw finds himself flying across the bedroom to soar onto the bed, landing squarely in Chanyeol’s arms, much to the Gryffindor’s smug delight. He grins, wide and proud, down at Minseok-- and Minseok flushed all down his neck and over his ears, though he would never admit it. With a cheer, Jongdae strips off his own outer garment, probably leaving it in a pile right next to Chanyeol’s mess, Minseok grimacing at the thought, and climbs onto the bed to join them.

With a silent wave of his wand before it's placed on the bedside table next to the bed, Jongdae extinguishes all the dim lamps dotting the room, leaving only the moonlight streaming through the thin curtains of the large window at one end of the room. On the seventh floor and so high up in Hogwarts, the shine of the moon into the Room of Requirement is particularly bright despite the curtains, much like how the silvery light always floods the middle of the Ravenclaw common room at midnight.

It's the design of the common rooms of all four houses-- Gryffindor gets the best sunshine in the afternoon, with the sun higher in the sky shining down into Gryffindor Tower. Hufflepuff, on the other hand, on the ground floor faces the sun first thing in the morning, giving students a bright and early wake up call but leaving the common room dim for the rest of the day.

It's safe to say that Slytherin never really gets any sunlight ever, being located down in the dungeons, while Ravenclaws don't tend to like the sun so much, hence staying indoors studying whenever they can, so it's the moonlight that illuminates the common room at certain points of the night. Minseok had only seen it once, upon sneaking into the common room from his dorm at some ungodly hour past sunset only to find the place washed in silver. The blue accents of the common room looked metallic in the moonlight, and Minseok hadn't recognised it for a split second.

But right now, with the moon peeking down into the Room of Requirement as they bid each other sweet good nights, curling on a single bed together, it provides enough light for Minseok to watch as Chanyeol shuffles over on the pillow to press a quick kiss to Jongdae’s lips. The smaller boy smiles into the kiss before they pull apart—and Minseok feels like he’s intruding, feels like the outsider in an intimate moment, but he can’t look away either. He can’t look away, even as Jongdae pulls Chanyeol back for a few more kisses before they both settle down on the pillows with their arms and legs tangled together. He still stares, until they fall asleep in each others arms, until he falls asleep wondering what it would be like in their arms.

 

Minseok yawns, squinting open his eyes the next morning to stretch in the downy sheets, and nearly falls off the bed in shock when he feels another limb with his foot. 

Glancing over he’s met with the sight of Chanyeol and his red hair in an absolute mess atop his head, cheek mushed against the large fluffy pillow-- and only now does Minseok remember that ah, they’re in the Room of Requirement.

He can’t quite hide the quiet chuckle that escapes from him at the sight of Chanyeol still fast asleep. Glancing up on Chanyeol’s other side, Minseok finds Jongdae spread out in a starfish shape over the bed, though he’s also missing half the blanket stolen by Chanyeol, who’s curled up right against his smaller boyfriend. Minseok smiles, yawning as he gazes down on the two boys wrapped up in each other. He stretches his arms over his head before throwing the covers off himself.

He takes a moment to look down at the bed, contemplating, before peeling the covers and blankets away from the two of them to shift it so that Jongdae would be covered too. It’s so chilly now in the early morning with frost on the window, blurring it.

In fact, it’s colder this morning that it was the previous few days, and Minseok can only hurriedly pull on his robes, wishing he was in his dormitory so he could at least throw on a warm sweater and his Ravenclaw scarf. It might have snowed the night before-- perfect, to have a white Christmas.

Minseok stops, a moment before stepping foot out of the door. He stoops to briefly let his fingers brush through Chanyeol’s red hair, then straightens back up to slip out of the room.

They find Minseok waiting for them at the almost empty breakfast tables all the way down in the Great Hall, now donned in a thick, deep blue turtleneck, the Gryffindor pair excitedly skipping over to where they find him on the Ravenclaw tables. There’s barely any students or teachers left in the school, so the Gryffindors happily plonk themselves down onto chairs on either side of Minseok, beaming bright and ecstatic and infectious enough for Minseok to subconsciously smile right back.

Chanyeol is messily dressed, with his buttons of his robes done up all wrong and his tie askew-- Minseok would like to imagine that Chanyeol was dragged out of the Room of Requirement the moment Jongdae woke up and realised that Minseok had left already.

Jongdae’s tie is hanging undone around his neck yet again despite the rest of his clothes looking neat in contrast with Chanyeol’s, and Minseok reaches over to fix the silk tie muttering “I’m beginning to think you’re doing this on purpose” under his breath as he does so. He can’t see the expression on Jongdae’s face, but he’s giggling happily into the space between them.

There’s Junmyeon the prefect, bypassing the Ravenclaw table to get to the Hufflepuff table, and Chanyeol raises a hand in a friendly wave.

“Merry Christmas, Kim!”

“Kim Junmyeon! Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas to you guys too,” Junmyeon smiles sweetly, looking rather like his sunny golden sweater so early in the morning.

“Hope you got some nice presents,” Jongdae wishes kindly, only for Junmyeon’s mouth to twist bitterly.

“I only ever get nice presents from Yixing. My parents give me the same ‘A Beginner’s Guide to Potions’ textbook every year, since I was 8.”

The three of them grow quiet, watching as Kim Junmyeon makes his way to his seat, and Chanyeol gasps.

“That reminds me! Presents!”

And despite not really saying anything about it, Minseok just mindlessly follows the two as they go up to the Gryffindor common room first after breakfast, only watching as they bounce ahead in excitement. Minseok doesn’t share their enthusiasm, trailing along after them with a slight smile hanging on his lips. Their delight is still infectious, and Minseok laughs along at their admittedly adorable antics. 

And even when Chanyeol and Jongdae tear open their presents, showing Minseok to their dormitory and all three of them sitting on the carpeted floor in a circle, Minseok only watches, silently observing the Gryffindor space.

Fascinating, how different it is. While Ravenclaw Tower is full of calm soothing blues and sophisticated silver glints, Gryffindor Tower is all about showy, dramatic reds and eye-catching gold.

It describes them quite well, Minseok muses to himself, what with Chanyeol’s show-stealing red hair and Jongdae’s sparkling eyes and shining smile. Their excitement is the same colour as the bold Gryffindor house colours, and their overjoyed smiles light up the room much the same way that the torches in the Gryffindor common room do. Minseok’s own lips tug upwards subconsciously, just from watching them.

Aside from the letters they received from Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, and even Sehun, and their parents, Jongdae peels open the wrapping paper around three volumes of books on the ancient art of Transfiguration from Kyungsoo and a pair of fluffy gloves from Sehun. Baekhyun had sent him a pair of smart leather shoes in a box tied with a ribbon, while he unveils more books from his parents-- this time about potions, since they would know all too well that it’s one of Jongdae’s worser subjects from his report cards. Jongin didn’t get him anything, which Jongdae doesn’t even notice until Minseok points it out-- and even then, he only shrugs, completely unsurprised. 

“Kyungsoo got everyone books,” Jongdae laughs, pulling on the gloves from Sehun and admiring the subtle gold thread laced within the cream wool that the gloves seem to b made of. “Knowing him, he probably just went to a bookshop to get everyone’s presents done all at once.”

“Not me, apparently,” Chanyeol pipes up happily, pulling a very large bag of cauldron cakes out from the box that Kyungsoo had sent him with a little cheer. “I’m special, because I actually appreciate his cooking,” he says around a big mouthful, already digging in and offering the cakes to Minseok. There’s shoes from Baekhyun again, matching Jongdae’s pair perfectly except being about five sizes larger, and a little pin of a roaring lion from Sehun. It glares at you, thick mane shaking, before opening its mouth for a soundless roar, exposing long canines and sharp teeth. Chanyeol immediately takes the pin to his trunk and securing it onto the strap of a black backpack that’s already littered with all sorts of different pins.

“His muggle backpack with his muggle stuff,” Jongdae explains briefly. “For going home over summer. He uses his backpack to display his collection of pins, and just puts a muggle safe spell on it before arriving at the station so they’d all stop moving.”

Chanyeol wraps the red hand-knitted scarf he received from his parents around his neck, grinning bright and wide as he gathers up the bag of cauldron cakes in his arms, looking at Minseok expectantly. In a flourish, Jongdae pulls out a paper bag full of the Christmas tree shaped shortbread cookies that was on the breakfast tables, and Chanyeol gives a loud cheer.

“Genius!” The taller boy exclaims, snagging one and breaking it in half, shoving one half in his mouth and handing Minseok the other half. “You brought a bag down to breakfast just to smuggle out cookies?”

“Of course not,” Jongdae chortles, standing from his spot on the carpet and dusting off his robes, and Minseok follows. “I just transfigured a napkin into a paper bag is all.”

“We get it, Transfiguration Master,” Chanyeol rolls his eyes, grabbing Minseok’s hand in his free one. “Ignore him, Minseok, he’s a show-off.”

And like that, Chanyeol leads him out of the Gryffindor common room, Jongdae’s loud whining protests following them as they exit through the portrait hole which swings shut behind the three of them. It only occurs as they walk through the seventh floor corridor, with Chanyeol munching on another cookie, that they’re headed towards the Ravenclaw Tower this time, and he doesn’t really have the chance to protest with the Gryffindors on either side of him, throwing snarky remarks at each other over his head.

But Minseok’s presents aren’t so exciting.

In fact, he doesn’t have much at all. They sit on the deep blue carpet of the Ravenclaw Common Room, watching as Minseok glances at the letter from his parents. There’s another small envelope, which Minseok weighs in his hand, sighing. Only a letter, and nothing but a hefty sum of pocket money-- again. 

“You can have us,” Jongdae pipes up the moment he catches the dwindled smile on Minseok’s lips. There are also postcards owl-mailed to him from the different countries his classmates and friends have returned home to, but that doesn’t exactly bring the joy back on Minseok’s face, when he’s here staying at Hogwarts over the holidays.

“You have us already,” Chanyeol adds as well, and Minseok flashes him an amused glance.

“That’s true. The presents from the two of you certainly made up for it.”

“No,” Jongdae says, sitting up straight opposite Minseok on the carpet, turning fully towards Minseok, as though he were giving him his full attention. Minseok tries to not look away. “I meant you have us. We’re your presents.”

Minseok blinks at him for a quiet moment, in a few seconds of mildly surprised silence, before shaking his head. “That’s lame.”

Jongdae gasps in disbelief, a hand placed dramatically on the crumpled shirt over his chest. He did sleep in these clothes after wearing them out all day yesterday, afterall. “Are you calling my feelings for you lame??”

Minseok pauses, a cold dread creeping down his spine. He’s terrified all of a sudden, terrified that he’s actually offended Jongdae this time. Easy-going, sunny, delightful Jongdae—he doesn’t want to ruin that just because of a light-hearted joke he made.

But before Minseok could even explain himself, or express that no he didn’t mean it, please don’t get mad, Jongdae cracks up and his entire face blossoms into something stunning. He nudges Minseok’s shoulder gently with his own, sitting close enough together to bump them together briefly. “Stop looking so horrified, I’m just kidding.”

And like magic, it’s those words that brings a smile onto Minseok’s face too, one that looks a lot like the bright expression on Jongdae’s, and he has to agree. Watching Chanyeol stuff cauldron cakes in his mouth, Jongdae admitting that perhaps Kyungsoo’s cooking has indeed improved, he has to agree that yes, he’s so indefinitely glad he has the two of them sitting on the floor here with him.

  
  


Minseok groans, looking up from his reading. With a sharp glare thrown at them, the two Gryffindors immediately shut up, quieting into soft giggles. Jongdae manages to gives him an apologetic look.

The large wooden desk Minseok sits at is littered with scrolls and scrolls of parchment, ink and quills, stacks of thick textbooks piled in front of him. Alchemy, Ancient Runes textbooks, publications on the theory of transfiguration. 

“Why are you studying in the holidays?” Chanyeol had frowned, only for Minseok to throw him a look. 

“Looks like you’re not going to remember anything once classes start, then.”

Jongdae chortled at that, nodding. “Sounds about right. Admit it, Chanyeol.”

But while Minseok sits at a table in the fourth floor study room whiling away the hours and days with books and spells and runes, the two do absolutely anything else other than study, usually making a racket in the corner with Minseok needing to snap at them to shut them up. Theoretically, that should be enough for Minseok to take his studying back to the Ravenclaw common room where it is least likely for him to be disturbed.

But despite his irritation at Jongdae’s loud protests and whines and Chanyeol’s booming laughter, he finds himself still making his way down three floors to meet up with them every single day regardless.

Is it the loneliness? Is it the emptiness of Ravenclaw Tower at this time, when everyone is away during the holidays? 

Minseok looks up from the notes he was taking from an advanced Ancient Runes textbook, looks over to Jongdae and Chanyeol playing some form of exploding snap at another table.

Or is it Jongdae’s bright smile and glittering eyes? Is it Chanyeol’s contagious laughter and big warm hands?

With a brief shake of his head and a secretive smile, Minseok turns back to frowning down at the runes in the book. He knows what they are, he can translate them perfectly fine, but somehow he doesn’t understand when they’re strung in this long sentence-- he doesn’t understand the deeper meaning, the implications of the statement.

It makes him think of the Gryffindors again. His struggles with the runes is almost like his understanding of himself, and what he feels. He knows it, knows what he feels. But what does it mean for them? 

“What does that mean?”

Minseok jumps, startled out of his thoughts.

Jongdae peers down at his parchment from where he hovers behind Minseok’s chair, having clearly gotten sick of Chanyeol’s antics, looking on over Minseok’s shoulder.

“I don’t really know,” Minseok grins sheepishly, turning away from Jongdae and back to his notes. “Something about dragons.”

“Dragons?” comes Chanyeol’s call from across the room, his interest being immediately piqued.

“That’s odd,” Jongdae huffs. “Why are you looking at runes about dragons?”

He takes a seat next to Minseok, glancing over his notes, and the Ravenclaw shrugs. “It just popped up.”

“What about dragons?” Chanyeol comes thundering over with excitement all over his face, plonking himself down on the chair on the other side of Minseok, blinking big eyes at him expectantly, and Minseok only laughs.

“A dragon with his kind end in fire,” he points down at the runes, dragging his finger across the parchment of the textbook as he reads. He raises his eyes back up to Chanyeol, shrugging again. “Any idea what that means?”

“Dragons are solitary,” the red head rattles off immediately, and Jongdae chuckles, a mixture of admiration and amusement painted on his face as he watches his boyfriend dive into his masses of knowledge on magical creatures. “Everyone knows that. Simply put, there cannot be groups of dragons, since they will fight each other. That’s probably what they mean by ‘end in fire’.”

Minseok only hums, looking down at the book again, seemingly lost in thought.

It’s funny, how Chanyeol explained to him what he couldn’t comprehend just a moment ago, how Jongdae sat with him in an effort to help. Help him with the runes, or help him find greater meaning regarding himself? Regarding their relationship?

Because when even his own feelings are a mess to him, somehow, these two see through it all, turning something complex into something simple and answering all of Minseok’s internal questions that go beyond the shapes on the paper.

 

By the time they leave the study area, the sky outside has completely darkened, absolutely no stray rays of sunshine coming in through the large windows. The castle is all shadows and pitch-black corners, dim torches and ominous silence pressing against them from all directions.

Luckily, they at least have the hidden staircase through the study area up to the seventh floor corridor, not needing to use the main marble staircases that would easily expose them to the caretaker prowling the corridors. Regardless, the moment they exit the staircase and into a deserted corner of the seventh floor, the three of them are quite nearly swallowed in the shadows that stretch everywhere like cobwebs draped over the entire hallway. 

It’s Chanyeol that pulls his wand out, murmuring “ _ Expecto patronum _ ” instead of “ _ Lumos _ ”, before Jongdae and Minseok quickly follow in casting their patronuses. Chanyeol’s plush lips pull up into a grin, watching his shimmering silver dog leap and bound through the air-- they’re much brighter than simply using a light charm on their wand tips. It feels safer, to have a light happy being floating beside them in the air that would otherwise seem so dead, with how dark and silent the castle is.

That lasts until they’re halfway down the hallway before Minseok’s wand opts out. His cat flickers before suddenly disappearing, the area around the three boys growing significantly darker with one less patronus to shed light upon them. 

Chanyeol turns eyes widened in alarm upon Minseok staring down in confusion and betrayal at his wand before sighing. “You should get your wand checked,” he whispers into the quiet of the castle. “This happened during our duel too.”

Jongdae looks between them, expression suddenly shifting into something in between thoughtful and puzzled. “Your duel?” 

“For the duelling club,” Chanyeol says as he continues striding down the carpeted hallway, clearly eager to reach the Gryffindor common room and leave the creepy castle at dark.

Jongdae grows quiet. “The duelling club?”

“It’s been acting up ever since.” Minseok sticks close by Jongdae’s side while Chanyeol strides ahead-- Jongdae’s patronus fades for a split-second before he brings his concentration back to the conversation at hand, trying to not lose focus in fear of his dolphin disappearing on them too. 

He glances around, seemingly contemplative before he turns to Minseok, eyebrows furrowed. “What’s your wand type?”

“Pear wood and dragon heartstring, 12 inches, slightly yielding,” Minseok rapidly recites, and the Gryffindor raises an eyebrow. He clears his throat, and hurries to explain. “I only know because I've been looking into wands recently, to find out what the problem is.”

Chanyeol had turned around, eyes back on them and attention back on the conversation. “Dragon heartstring?” he murmurs.

With a glance over at both Jongdae and Chanyeol, curiosity makes its way onto Minseok’s face. “What are yours?”

“Rowan wood,” Jongdae responds, but that look of deep contemplation doesn't leave his face. “And unicorn hair core, for both of us.”

“In fact, no one else we know has a wand with dragon heartstring core,” Chanyeol adds, nodding when Minseok turns wide eyes of pure disbelief onto him. “So you're the only one with this issue.”

“No wonder you're so good at duelling,” Minseok tries to joke, flashing Jongdae a side-eyed glance. “It's the rowan wood talking.”

“So what,” Jongdae starts again as they continue their way to Ravenclaw Tower. “You think the problem with your wand has something to do with the core?”

“Precisely. Besides, it wouldn't be the problem with the pear wood,” the Ravenclaw stops beside the great bronze doors of the common room, turning back around to face the other two boys. “They don't tend to act out of their own accord, and are very resilient with long lasting magic so it shouldn't be faulty either.”

“I agree.” Minseok and Jongdae whip their heads up towards Chanyeol, who shrugs with his thin brows furrowed in thought. “Perhaps your dragon heartstring core could be more unpredictable under certain circumstances.”

Jongdae hums, protesting. “But that's more of a phoenix feather core wand trait.”

But Minseok chips in before the two could argue any further while standing in front of Ravenclaw Tower. “It's getting late. You two should go back to your dorms, but I'll tell you about it tomorrow.”

And only after he bids them goodbye and disappeared behind those massive doors, the two heading back to the Gryffindor wing of the seventh floor does Chanyeol pause in his tracks. And with wide eyes that he turns on Jongdae, he stares at his boyfriend unnervingly, his dog patronus vanishing into the air.

“Jongdae,” he whispers into the darkness of the seventh floor corridor. “Minseok wouldn’t be thinking that there’s a  _ dragon  _ in Hogwarts, would he?”

  
  


“A dragon with his kind ends in fire,” he recites, eyes flickering up as he blinks. Minseok nods. 

Needless to say, Chanyeol and Jongdae didn’t get much sleep the night before. Chanyeol ended up climbing onto Jongdae’s bed, sliding under his covers for Jongdae to wrap his arms around his torso and hold him against his own chest. They didn’t say a word, but understood easily that their thoughts led back to the same thing, the same conversation they had, the same question with Minseok’s wand. Chanyeol had fallen into a troubled sleep with Jongdae gently, slowly, running his fingers through his silky red hair. There are a lot of things Chanyeol would give to have his hair played with.

And it may be the situation at hand, or their lack of sleep, that means both their faces have fallen into an expression of stony seriousness even now-- an expression Minseok didn’t think he’d ever see on the two Gryffindors.

Even Jongdae’s lips, perpetually pulled up into a slight curled grin, are completely flat and pursed this time, and Chanyeol’s thin brows are furrowed on his forehead. It only goes to show the responsibility they are capable of, that Minseok didn’t imagine they’d be capable of, their ability to distinguish between a joke and a concern. It all hits Minseok straight in the chest with a wave of pleasant surprise.

“Your wand is dragon heartstring core,” Chanyeol continues, leaning forwards on the bed. The sheets are blue today, thanks to the Room of Requirement. It’s the closest meeting spot they could possibly have for all of them from both houses, and the fastest to get to first thing in the morning to talk. “And you think it could become more unpredictable, if there is a dragon nearby. Am I right?”

“I’ve been looking through prohibited books in the restricted section of the library by using invisibility charms on myself,” Minseok confesses instead, and this pulls up both Jongdae and Chanyeol’s eyebrows high onto their foreheads. “To research the history of mysteries and secrets of Hogwarts, and it’s been working.”

“Have you been researching the structure of the castle, though?” Jongdae chips in, Chanyeol turning a fully confused gaze onto him. He only looks more confused, when Minseok nods calmly, having thought of the exact same thing Jongdae did possibly long ago.

“My wand acts up in certain parts of the castle,” he explains slowly, the corners of Jongdae’s lips curling up again in that interesting cat-like way. “But not others.”

“The Transfiguration courtyard,” Chanyeol thinks back to the duelling club, to their duel, to Minseok’s wand embarrassingly failing him just as their duel began. “Right next to… the Transfiguration classrooms?”

“The middle of the seventh floor corridor, last night.” Minseok adds. “Which was almost right above the Transfiguration corridor. Both located close to the inner centre of the castle.”

Jongdae, sitting opposite the other two with his legs spread out in front of him on the bed, turns to Minseok. The smile is wiped off his lips, but the shine in his eyes is back. “Minseok,” he starts, voice strangely low. Strange, because Minseok is so used to hearing the high-pitched shrill cries that he’s capable of. “Let us help you.”

Something thuds at the base of Minseok’s throat, pulsing in his ear. “It could be dangerous,” he warns. “I don’t even know why I’m so intent on doing this—but you two definitely should not feel like you must.”

“All the more reason why we can’t let you do this by yourself,” Chanyeol protests, catching Minseok’s attention so that his eyes fly to Chanyeol’s face and dart over his features. And he’s looking more determined than even on the quidditch pitch. It renders Minseok a little speechless, and whole lot breathless. “It’s dangerous, like you said. We’re coming with you. We’re sharing this with you, whether you like it or not.”

A pause follows his words.

Minseok blinks, eyes finding Chanyeol’s own. Chanyeol’s big, bright eyes, with his brown irises. The Gryffindor blinks rapidly, and his gaze is trembling with some sort of emotion that Minseok never caught before when he stares back at Minseok, gazing deep into his eyes.

And slowly, Minseok shifts his weight forwards on the bed, pulled into Chanyeol by the way Chanyeol looks at him, the way Chanyeol blinks in his flustered panic. But as soon as Chanyeol senses Minseok’s hesitance, it goes much faster than either could possibly comprehend. 

Chanyeol leans forward in a surge of movement, losing his battle against himself, against Minseok’s heavy gaze, and crashes his mouth against Minseok’s. Their lips meet in the air between them, and for a split-second everything in the room seems to freeze. Minseok stills, Chanyeol goes rigid at this new territory that he’s charged head first into, and Jongdae’s breath doesn’t leave his lungs as he watches, jaw dropped with a palette-full of emotions splattered over his face.

But then Chanyeol moves against Minseok’s lips and the Ravenclaw kisses back, presses back into Chanyeol with his eyes fluttering shut, and the room leaps back into fast-paced colour once again with the way they kiss. 

They kiss with undeniable strength despite the slow and gentle, hesitant nature of the kiss itself-- Chanyeol’s eyebrows are knit tight together, like it takes all his concentration to kiss Minseok right, like he’s thinking too hard about how to kiss him in the absolute best way because Minseok should never settle for anything less.

But Minseok, Minseok is lost somewhere between Chanyeol’s thick lips, lost in his hot breath and lost in the way Chanyeol kisses him like he can’t believe this is happening, and is desperate to make it last as long as possible in case it never happens again. The mere thought of that makes Minseok huff a breathless chuckle right into the heat of Chanyeol’s mouth. Breathless, because Chanyeol’s pretty good at making him forget the importance of inhaling the air he needs.

How could he stay away, how could he possibly not do this again, when Chanyeol with his fiery hair and warm lips bathes his insides in a gentle, bubbling fire?

This heat, it fills him up so perfectly, and Minseok can only imagine this is what it would feel like if Chanyeol pointed his big unicorn hair core wand at him and set a small fire on his internal organs with a  _ Lacarnum inflamari  _ charm.

But Chanyeol picking up the pace, picking up the movement of his mouth against Minseok’s, only feeds the fire he’s got growing in him, feeds into the raw feeling of desperation like Chanyeol’s been waiting on the edge of his seat for this part of the story to happen for far too long. Which is probably exactly what happened, Minseok absentmindedly realises-- it’s his last conscious thought before he’s sucked into the way he can pull sounds out from Chanyeol with a harder suck of his lip or a gentle nibble of Chanyeol’s lower lip. Chanyeol’s sounds come from deep in his chest, emitting throaty, rumbling groans, but Minseok pulls himself out of the haze Chanyeol’s got him buried in.

He forcefully drags himself away from Chanyeol’s lips entirely, lips quirking upwards at how Chanyeol attempts to adorably chase his lips. But he turns his face, shifting over on the bed to kiss the breath right out of Jongdae too, taking the boy completely by stunned surprise. It comes easily, so, so easily, he way he can dive right into Jongdae’s space and press his lips to Jongdae’s and pull him in closer with a hand that came up subconsciously to fist in the front of Jongdae’s fluffy white sweater that he’s donned in this morning. 

Since Chanyeol had kissed the surprise out of Minseok, kissing Jongdae just feels natural, feels like they’ve been kissing since years ago, rather than minutes ago. Interesting, how the way Minseok feels between the two of them switches around just based on the kisses they leave on his lips, since it’s always Chanyeol who gives him the feeling of natural intimacy while Jongdae has always been an unpredictable bomb.

But kissing Chanyeol was everything Minseok expected but also not, and every little movement from the tall Gryffindor came unexpected and a pleasant surprise. Chanyeol’s kisses were a box full of those surprises; whereas while everything else about Jongdae is hard to fully grasp and understand and even harder to predict, it’s his mouth that is easy to work with and tame.

Minseok indulges completely in the absolutely pleased hums that Jongdae utters against him, and trembles in barely concealed delight when he feels a touch on his hip. It takes him a moment, being too wrapped up in Jongdae, to recognise the long fingers and great big palm that’s dragging down from Minseok’s hip down his thigh. And knowing that it’s Chanyeol that has his warm hand on Minseok while he’s sucking Jongdae’s face only makes Minseok’s breath catch and heart flutter even more.

And it’s admittedly just as easy, to tip them over, tip Jongdae down onto the blue bedsheets and the matching blue pillows on the bed without their lips separating. Jongdae gasps prettily for a moment, but Minseok swoops back down because he doesn’t really want to stop kissing him, now that they’ve begun.

Arms wind around Minseok’s waist from below him, hand smoothing up and down his back as Minseok hovers over Jongdae, continuing licking into his mouth, listening to the gorgeous melodic sounds that Jongdae hums into the (lack of) space between them. 

And Minseok really just wanted to hold Jongdae down on the bed, kiss him some more and then kiss him some more, but then he feels the bed dip somewhere to his left, only for Jongdae to pull away, breathing out weak protests.

Minseok finds Chanyeol kneeling down on the bed too, and was pressing butterfly kisses along Jongdae’s neck and on his ear before Jongdae broke his kiss with Minseok. He swats at his boyfriend, but there’s a brilliantly wide smile hanging on his curved lips, pushing up his cheeks and slanting his eyebrows upwards. A quiet laugh bubbles out of Jongdae’s bobbing adam’s apple, and Chanyeol joins in after a heartbeat, his face exploding into a smile that’s so, so blindingly wide.

And if Jongdae’s cute giggles from where he’s lying on the mattress struck a chord somewhere in Minseok’s chest, then Chanyeol’s sunny smile and adoring gaze as he stares down at Jongdae plucks at a different heart string-- different, but no less welcome.

In fact, Minseok finds himself facing them, both the boys eyeing him with a similar glint in their gazes and their grins turning mischievous. Before Minseok could really process what was going on, he’s being pushed down by two pairs of strong arms with two sets of bright laughter in his ears. 

He falls back against the mattress, and no matter how soft the bed is, the breath is knocked cleanly out of him just from getting a glimpse of Jongdae laughing as Chanyeol clambers over him, planting kiss after kiss all over Minseok’s face.

He bursts out in fits of laughter, turning this way and that to avoid Chanyeol’s lips-- Jongdae’s fingers digging into his sides really don’t help his situation as they both hover over him, coaxing so many giggles out of him tears begin pooling at the corners of his eyes from laughing.

But when Chanyeol’s pecks are replaced with longer, deeper, slower kisses back at Minseok’s lips, the string within his heart is strummed much more strongly, and Minseok can only wind his arms around Chanyeol’s neck, smiling into the kiss.

He feels Jongdae shuffle towards him, curling right into Minseok’s side with his arms draping over Minseok’s waist and nestling his face into the crook of Minseok’s neck. 

And for once, Minseok doesn’t get an urge to be productive. Just staying here, on the bed in the Room of Requirement, kissing and holding each other is all he really wants to fill the day with-- today, and every day after too. 

  
  


Minseok’s head whips around, panting in the hot and heavy air. The footsteps outside the bathroom stop, before a clear voice rings out.

“Ocean breeze.”

“Occupied!!” Minseok shouts immediately, but the knob of the Prefect’s bathroom is already clicking open.

Kim Junmyeon startles when he steps foot inside the steaming bathroom, eyes immediately catching onto Minseok’s bare torso in the gigantic golden bathtub that fill up the room. The tub is filled to the brim with gently bubbling water, steam rising off the surface and soap floating around the Ravenclaw Captain.

While Prefects like Junmyeon and the Head Boy and Head Girl have access to the Prefect’s bathroom on the fifth floor, so do the Captains of each house, but the password stays between them.

“Sorry!” the Hufflepuff Prefect blurts, immediately heading back out of the bathroom and pulling the door shut again behind him, conveniently missing the strange shape of the ripples in the middle of the tub, where there certainly should not be any ripples.

Minseok rests his head back against the golden rim of the tub, breathing out a long sigh of relief.

“Why did he come in when you already said it’s occupied?”

With a chuckle, Minseok raises the wand that he has in his hand, giving a wave towards the air in front of him. And like a cloak is pulled off as Minseok removes the spell, Jongdae and Chanyeol are revealed to be equally bare, sitting facing Minseok in the tub. A frown sits on Chanyeol’s brows while Jongdae’s lips are pulled up into a pout, the whine evident in his voice.

Luckily Minseok had already mastered the invisibility charm after one-too-many late night visits to the forbidden section of the Hogwarts library. 

He had shown them the Prefects bathroom, knowing they’d enjoy the massive bubbling bath and the sheer luxury of the place in general, with how everything gleams and reflects the ceiling lights-- and he was right. 

But he was wrong about one thing. He had completely, entirely, misjudged their character.

The way Jongdae had stripped himself of his robes was definitely purposeful, and the way Chanyeol rolled his shoulders and stretched himself out once bare was upsettingly taunting. Minseok couldn’t help his gaze focusing on Jongdae’s lean figure with his unbelievably tiny waist, as well as Chanyeol’s gigantic build with defined muscles bulking up his arms, chest and abs. 

Minseok isn’t bad himself, and he knows-- he knows because of Jongdae’s bottom lip sucked between his teeth as he stared, and because of Chanyeol’s unbroken staring as Minseok revealed his taut torso, hard lines of muscles from his unrelenting exercise and all those years of Quidditch.

It’s not the first time they’ve seen each other bare, not since a sleepover in the Room of Requirement that became more than just a sleepover. But they had sunken into the bath, all sitting on the marble ledge in the deliciously hot, bubbling water, and Chanyeol had started a splashing fight almost immediately.

They’d both joined in, until water was dripping from the ends of their hair, until Minseok took one look at Chanyeol, with water glistening all over his exposed chest and running in rivets down the grooves of his muscles. He had leaped forwards, pushed Chanyeol against the edge of the bathtub to plant his lips on his, hands roaming all over the skin of Chanyeol’s torso, flushed and red from the hot water.

But he never forgot to stick a hand out to the side, squarely hitting the surprisingly firm muscles of Jongdae’s shoulders and biceps with his fingertips and dragged his hand down one of Jongdae’s arms to hold onto his hand.

It was at that time, Chanyeol whimpering through his nose as Minseok grabbed a fistful of his wet red hair with his free hand, that they heard the footsteps nearing the bathroom. Minseok broke away, panting hard against Chanyeol’s mouth-- it was hard enough to breathe in the steamy room without the Gryffindors crowding up against him and taking his breath away.

Luckily, all three of them had left their wands not far from the edge of the bathtub, lined up together. Jongdae and Minseok’s wands may be similar in size, while Chanyeol’s 14 inch wand is significantly bigger, Minseok’s golden coloured pear wood wand is easily distinguishable. He’d lunged for it and casted the charm-- good thing Junmyeon didn’t stay around long enough to notice how even though Jongdae and Chanyeol may be invisible, the ripples in the water around their bodies are still very much visible.

“It’s fine, Jongdae,” Minseok soothes Jongdae’s whining with an amused tug upwards of a corner of his lips. “Junmyeon and I are just friends. Don’t overthink it.”

The Gryffindor shrugs. “Sure.”

Chanyeol, now sitting beside Minseok on the ledge in the water, glances at him, piping up. “We are technically just friends with you too.”

Minseok looks at them, really looks at them, with his eyes darting from one to the other before frowning. “No, you’re boyfriends.”

Silence settles over the bathroom, except for the quiet drip-drop and occasional swish of water. That takes both of them fully aback, blinking at Minseok before identical wide grins begin growing on their lips.

“Definitely boyfriends,” Jongdae breathily agrees before surging forward to kiss Minseok, who wraps a sturdy arm around Jongdae’s waist and pulls closer, against the edge of the bathtub and Jongdae finds himself landed in Minseok’s lap. Minseok’s hand trails up the curve of his back, pressing their bare chests together and letting the hot water splash out of the giant bath.


	8. incendio (set my heart ablaze)

The train churns on.

The rhythmic chugging and the occasional sounds of the old engine, the scenery flying past the window, everything is calming and soothing in a strange way. Almost as if they’re stuck here, in a fragment of time that doesn’t change, in a carriage that’s moving but isn’t really moving at the same time. And if it wasn’t for the gentle swaying of the train, it would’ve really felt like they weren’t going anywhere at all, that they’re just a frame in an enchanted, magical painting-- moving within the picture, but never escaping the scene that was painted.

A head of smooth, silky blonde hair rests against his shoulder, and the weight of it is calming too.

Kyungsoo glances down, smiling the slightest at the sight of Sehun’s face completely relaxed in his sleep, head slightly shaking with the rocking of the train carriage. With a sigh, Kyungsoo shifts to rest his chin on top of Sehun’s head.

Nothing to do during the long ride back to the station on the Hogwarts Express, but too much to think about.

He forces himself to close his eyes in that position, feeling Sehun’s even breaths, trying to match his inhales and exhales. He should get some sleep too-- but despite how lulling everything may be, Kyungsoo can’t quite manage to fall into it the way Sehun did.

Too much to think about.

 

The moment Kyungsoo steps off the steps leading down from the train carriage, a familiar large hand finds his own amidst the noise and people and chaos of the platform.

Sehun’s long fingers wrap around his hand, and Kyungsoo glances up at his boyfriend. They had taken a moment to smooth his blonde hair back down after it had been ruffled in his sleep just before they’d arrived at the station, but frankly he looks just as dashing either way.

Especially like this-- Sehun’s dressed strangely formally, and it’s eye-opening for Kyungsoo to see his boyfriend in anything other than the Slytherin uniform or his Quidditch outfit. But since they’d be at the station, in fear of judgement from muggles, they’re both dressed head to toe in normal clothing.

Or at least Kyungsoo is, wearing a large black hoodie and faded jeans, which is what he would normally wear at home anyway. Sehun, on the other hand, is donned in fitting black slacks, pointed leather shoes and a smart shirt tucked into his pants with a leather jacket over the top. He had whistled when Sehun returned after changing out of his Hogwarts uniform, and the shy chuckle Sehun let out easily brought a big smile onto Kyungsoo’s face.

Sehun leads him by the hand straight out of the station before Kyungsoo could really recognise where they were headed to, or what to do with their luggage-- but Sehun seems to have been one step ahead of him and that’s apparently taken care of. They find themselves where a station worker is already moving all their luggage onto an empty carriage at the back of the station, where it leads off into a quiet street lined with old fashioned stand alone houses and tall trees. Kyungsoo had just been admiring how spacious the carriage appears to be when Sehun wraps a long arm around his shoulders, ushering him into the carriage.

It easily fits all their stuff, and is large enough inside for even Sehun to slightly stretch his long legs. And despite the length of the seat, Kyungsoo doesn’t miss how Sehun chooses to sit right next to him, thigh against thigh and shoulder against shoulder.

But before he could even ask him about the carriage, and what on Earth is going on, why do they even have a carriage, the whole thing lurches forward.

Kyungsoo’s eyes stretch wide the moment it shifts and begins to move, glancing around wildly at Sehun beside him who only gives him a breathy little chuckle.

“It’s pulled by thestrals,” the Slytherin explains, wordlessly taking Kyungsoo’s hand in his own and interlacing their fingers together, and oh that makes sense. No wonder Kyungsoo didn’t see anything but the carriage itself-- he had been wondering why there weren’t any horses to pull it.

“Like the carriages at Hogwarts,” Kyungsoo breathes, looking up in front of the carriage despite knowing fully well that he wouldn’t be able to see the beasts. He has never seen death, and thestrals are only visible to those who have. But he knows from Chanyeol’s endless rambling that they look like great big skeletal horses, gloomy and miserable-looking with hollowed eyes and large black bat-like wings. He chances another glance at Sehun, who is gazing out the window too.

The Oh family must be wealthier than he initially thought, if they can afford thestrals to pull their carriages.

And Kyungsoo isn’t disappointed.

He lets his jaw drop the moment the carriage is pulled through huge, towering black gates and down a driveway lined with pine trees alongside it—and at the end of the driveway stands a mansion so grand it could potentially pass off as a palace.

Kyungsoo freezes, eyes glued to the expanses of beautiful white walls, silver railings of the front steps glinting under the sun, huge mahogany doors with silver serpent head knockers—he turns to his boyfriend, eyes about to pop out of their sockets.

“Sehun,” he chokes, Sehun turning to him with his bottom lip captured between his teeth. “You did not tell me you’re a prince!”

That gets a little giggle out from the boy, who runs a hand through his luscious blonde locks. “I may not be a prince,” he gives Kyungsoo’s hand a squeeze. “But my family is pretty well-known in the wizarding community, I’d say.”

“Clearly,” Kyungsoo huffs, taking another look out the window as the carriage comes to a rolling stop right in front of the large doors.

He barely registers Sehun leaning into him, until his voice is right by his ear, and the low whisper of “nervous?” startles him right out of his thoughts. He turns his head, giving Sehun a little smile. The boy had pressed right up to Kyungsoo on the seat, face an inch from Kyungsoo’s, and gentle eyes searching Kyungsoo’s own.

“Not really,” Kyungsoo lies. “If they don’t like me, I guess we’ll just have to break up.”

Sehun pulls away, absolutely horrified, hand growing still in Kyungsoo’s—but the Gryffindor only bursts into a fit of chuckles. He runs a thumb over Sehun’s knuckles.

“Did you really think I’d break up with you over that? After all the guts it took for me to confess?” Kyungsoo snorts, before leaning in and pressing gentle lips to Sehun’s, feeling how the boy’s eyelashes flutter shut, feeling the upturn of Sehun’s lips against his own in an indiscreet smile. He pulls away, giggling silently at how Sehun attempts to chase his lips for another moment or two. “We’ll be fine,” Kyungsoo murmurs, and Sehun gives his hand another squeeze.

“They’ll love you,” he whispers back, though it sounds considerably more like he’s attempting to convince himself.

But no amount of hoping and wishful thinking would have prepared Kyungsoo for this.

The man and woman who had opened the gigantic mahogany doors were both donned in deep green silk, pearl jewellery hanging off the lady. She’s tall, they both are, and explains where Sehun’s perfect set of genetics come from. His mother has the same deep-set eyes and high nose that Sehun proudly wears on his own face, while his father’s broad frame looks strikingly similar to Sehun’s silhouette. They are a formidable pair, the thin lips of Sehun’s mother painted in dark red lipstick the shade of wine and the narrowed eyes of the man serve as double intimidation points, and Kyungsoo swallows.

The woman steps forwards with a delighted smile to throw her arms around Sehun, while the man with the dark facial hair that stands beside her orders a butler to take care of the luggages. Neither of what Kyungsoo assumes to be Sehun’s parents actually seem to notice him there, until the elegant woman steps back from her son, eyes flickering over to the small boy that’s also standing on their polished marble steps.

And the smile drops right off her face.

“Sehun,” she starts, voice high, like how her eyebrows arch upwards. Kyungsoo spares a thought to how similar Sehun’s eyebrows are to that of his mother’s, before her voice catches his attention again. “Who is this boy?”

And Kyungsoo can see the tight strain in Sehun’s smile, can feel the way his hands shake the slightest in nerves as he wraps an arm around Kyungsoo’s waist, can feel the way Sehun stiffens a little as they both notice the man and woman’s eyes drop to follow the movement of Sehun’s arm.

“Mother, father,” Sehun starts, clearing his throat and glancing down at Kyungsoo for a split-second. “This is Doh Kyungsoo. My boyfriend.”

The silence that follows freezes Kyungsoo to his spot. Their eyes are on him, both pairs of their eyes scrutinising him, his muggle clothes, his glasses, his hair, and it seems to take every muscle in Kyungsoo’s body to just force out a smile on his lips.

He bows, ninety degrees at the waist, pausing before straightening up. “Hello, Mr and Mrs Oh,” his smile twitches. “Lovely to finally meet you. I’m Kyungsoo.”

And Kyungsoo can’t help but think that it takes Sehun’s mother the same amount of effort to crack a smile that looks more like a grimace back at Kyungsoo. “The pleasure is ours,” she forces out between her teeth, before spinning around on her heel and striding off into the house, her husband following.

Sehun lets out a quiet, deep breath. He looks down at Kyungsoo again, managing his best to crack an uncertain smile at him, before his hand moves to the small of Kyungsoo’s back, gently ushering him into the mansion, large wooden doors swinging shut behind them.

With one glance at the perfect marble flooring, polished to perfection so that Kyungsoo could even see his own reflection underfoot as they walk through the grand entrance hall, he bites his lip, focusing all his attention on the familiar weight of Sehun’s hand on the dip of his back.

This is going to be a long Christmas.

Dinner is stifling.

Kyungsoo isn’t sure if he really is eating any food, the pieces of perfectly cooked steak that he cuts off choking him when he tries to swallow anything at all. He grabs the goblet of wine, trying his damn best to wash down the mouthful and not splutter and cough at the table like a total idiot. He downs half the glass, glancing up through his glasses to watch as Mrs Oh spares him a glance before daintily reaching for her own glass and taking the tiniest sip from it after thoughtfully swirling the wine.

The butler had brought their luggage floating to Sehun’s bedroom, which Kyungsoo secretly thinks is about the size of three boys’ dormitories at Hogwarts. How Sehun managed to survive living with four other boys in a room that is barely bigger than his bed at home is a mystery. He had watched Sehun unpack, bringing out his clothes from his luggage, perched on the edge of Sehun’s bed. He had mused over how it could probably fit all of the house elves that work in the Hogwarts kitchens, but said nothing.

Sehun’s room is white-walled and beautiful, very minimalistic for a teenage boy. Even his sheets are a simple emerald green, as a lot of things are in the Oh mansion, and so are his curtains. His study desk in the corner is made of the same mahogany that the front door of the mansion is, and holds various little stationery cups on the desk top. Just Sehun’s wardrobe, that he had thrown open, is large enough to fit the entire carriage that they had arrived in, with perhaps a few thestrals thrown in too. And it’s full of clothes, beautiful long robes and fitted dress shirts and slacks. The polished leather shoes that sit on the floor of the wardrobe gleamed in the dim light of the bedroom, and Kyungsoo’s eyes had caught on a handsome pair that look like they were made from dragon hide.

And even the cutlery now placed in front of him—Kyungsoo is afraid to even pick up the silver knife and fork, the shimmering goblet with little silver serpents circling the base, the glinting plates and saucers. With a wave of Mr Oh’s hand, the torches that lined the vast dining hall had dimmed for dinner, and even now as Kyungsoo tries to busy himself cutting another piece of steak he briefly thinks that Sehun’s father has still not said a single word to him.

It’s Sehun’s mother that breaks the heavy silence that settled over the table. She sits directly opposite Sehun, and the two of them are on either side of Mr Oh, who sits at the head of the table. Kyungsoo sits on Sehun’s other side, close to him but not close enough to touch under the table.

“How’s school, Sehun?” she says, lifting the wine glass to her lips.

Sehun nods, swallowing a mouthful. “Fine.”

“And I don’t suppose you have gotten into any trouble.”

It’s a statement rather than a question, and Kyungsoo’s eyes dart sideways to look at his boyfriend.

“No, mother.”

“Excellent.” The lady’s thin eyes sweep over to Kyungsoo, who nearly drops the knife and fork in his hands. “Now Mr Doh, what year and house did you say you were in?”

 _I didn’t say any of those though,_ Kyungsoo thinks, before quietly setting his cutlery down. “I’m in fourth year, ma’am. Gryffindor.”

Mrs Oh’s mouth twists. So does Kyungsoo’s insides.

“Gryffindor,” she repeats, nodding slowly. “And what do your parents do, Mr Doh? Do they work in the Ministry of Magic?”

Kyungsoo contemplates lying.

They already don’t look impressed that Sehun’s boyfriend is a Gryffindor, of all houses. He really, really does not fancy seeing the looks on their faces the moment the word muggle leaves his lips.

But upon second thought, he also really, really does not fancy seeing the looks on their faces when they eventually find out that Kyungsoo’s been lying.

So he sucks in a breath, tweaks his lips up into what he prays to dear god is one of his prettier, less painful looking smiles. “No, ma’am. My father runs his own business. My mother is a muggle.”

The dining hall falls into complete silence. Sehun tenses, watching how his mother sets down her own cutlery.

“Interesting,” she chooses to say instead, turning to her son. “I can see why you are intrigued, Sehun. How long do you plan on keeping this boy for?”

Kyungsoo’s stomach lurches.

Sehun drops his fork onto his plate with a loud, resounding clank that sounds more like a gunshot in the echoing, suffocating silence of the mansion. “ _What_?” he spits.

“I said,” Mrs Oh repeats patiently, as though explaining a very simple concept to a struggling child. “How long are you going to… keep dating this boy for? It’s good to be interested in other things, but best not to let it drag out for too long lest it turns complicated.”

Sehun blinks, completely flabbergasted, and Kyungsoo just watches as his boyfriend’s sharp jaw clenches tight, veins in his long, pale neck straining in his effort to keep his anger down. “I plan on keeping Kyungsoo for as long as I damn can,” Sehun hisses eventually through his teeth. “I plan on keeping Kyungsoo until he gets sick of me, and if he doesn’t, then I plan on keeping him forever, _mother_.”

And for the first time, Sehun’s father finally drops his cutlery, setting eyes like flint on his son. “You are not to talk to your mother like that,” he says, voice intimidatingly low, travelling down through Kyungsoo’s bones and turning his skin into gooseflesh. “She is merely here to guide you on the right path out of concern, Sehun.”

Sehun stands, sending a look equally piercing right back at Mr Oh. “I talk to my mother because she talks to my boyfriend like that,” he snaps. With a sudden, strong grab of Kyungsoo’s wrist from beneath the table, he drags his smaller boyfriend to his feet. He sends another sharp look at his parents, before striding out of the dining hall, boyfriend in tow.

Up the grand marble staircase, down a dark carpeted hallway, Sehun’s bedroom door thrown open then slammed shut with a bang. Kyungsoo is in a near daze the entire route through the mansion, only gazing at Sehun’s tight shoulders, hand in his.

“Well,” Kyungsoo clears his throat, after the two of them are in the bedroom and silence has settled like fine dust between them. “That was uh. Interesting.”

With a few long strides, Sehun steps up to Kyungsoo, long fingers suddenly finding Kyungsoo’s face, cupping it delicately as he presses in closer. “I am so sorry,” he murmurs, eyes searching Kyungsoo’s face, only for the other to smile.

“It’s not your fault,” the Gryffindor reasons, only for Sehun’s hard brows to angle further.

“They’re my parents.”

“I stand by what I said. It still isn’t your fault.”

With a sigh, Sehun topples forward, burying his face in the crook of Kyungsoo’s neck, throwing his arms around narrow shoulders. Kyungsoo only smiles just that little bit more, reaching around Sehun’s tiny little ant waist to hold him tighter, closing his eyes. He can feel Sehun’s breaths against his skin, and just standing here like this, he can almost forget the exchange a few minutes ago.

“Is it alright for you to say that to your parents?” he whispers, Sehun giving him a huff.

“They deserved it.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Kyungsoo tries again, only to feel Sehun shaking his head against his shoulder.

“Merlin, that was bad enough. That was far worse than what I can accept.”

Kyungsoo’s voice is deep, low and quiet, murmured into Sehun’s shoulder, whispered against his expensive black robes that he changed into once arriving that he looks absolutely dashing in. “I’m not made of glass, Sehun.”

This makes Sehun pull away slowly, though his hands still travel down to hold Kyungsoo’s in his wide palms and long fingers. “I know.”

It’s not until they go to bed, Kyungsoo pressed against Sehun’s side, heads on the same pillow that Sehun turns his face to his boyfriend. And with his lips against the black hair over Kyungsoo’s forehead, he whispers the quietest “I love you” into the dead silence of the Oh mansion at this hour into the night.

Kyungsoo freezes, slowly turning his face upwards to let his eyes roam all over Sehun’s features, only to find the Slytherin gazing down at him with a purely serious expression. His lips are pursed, without the slightest hint of a smile, and he peers down at Kyungsoo as though he wanted to see right through his skin to take a good look at his heart.

And Kyungsoo lets out a shaky breath, feeling the rims of his eyes growing hot.

He reaches up, grabs Sehun’s face, presses his lips hard to Sehun’s, mouths colliding messily in the darkness of the room. Sehun makes a quiet noise through his nose, and one of his arms find Kyungsoo’s waist, tugging him in closer and pulling him right up against his own body.

Kyungsoo kisses him hard, their breaths mixing, saliva mixing, and it’s a sloppy kiss with the way they grab at each other and the way their mouths open and slot together.

And without ever detaching from Sehun’s lips, Kyungsoo shuffles even closer, throwing a leg over Sehun’s hips to climb on top of him, straddling his thighs with his own that Sehun’s hands subconsciously gravitate towards to hold.

Kyungsoo’s hands are still on either side of Sehun’s face, tilting his own to kiss him deeper, kiss him harder, because it feels like that’s the only way to express what he really feels.

“I love you too,” he breathes into Sehun’s mouth between kisses, and Sehun makes a louder noise in response through his nose again as Kyungsoo captures his lips again, effectively drowning out whatever it was that he was going to say.

But the words aren’t enough, Kyungsoo feels like they’re not enough.

Sehun’s arms hooped around Kyungsoo’s waist, hands splayed out over Kyungsoo’s back, tighten with the brush of tongue against his lower lip, and he shakes in Kyungsoo’s hold, digging his fingertips into Kyungsoo’s shoulder blades. Kyungsoo’s tongue runs across Sehun’s lip briefly once more, and the Slytherin lets his mouth open wider, lets Kyungsoo enter and lets Kyungsoo taste him.

Kyungsoo hums, pleased and immensely satisfied, against Sehun’s face, and savours the way Sehun easily lets his tongue do its thing. Their noses bump, crashing into each other, hot breaths in each other’s mouths, quiet wet sounds muffled between them.

One of Kyungsoo’s hands migrate down, down to the hem of Sehun’s sleep shirt, stroking the skin of his navel there before slipping under, palm flat against the muscle at his abdomen, and Sehun gasps. The hand drags upwards, feeling Sehun’s skin, feeling the shift of his muscles underneath his skin, and feeling the way Sehun’s body heats up from his touches.

The shirt is pulled up with the movement of his hand, and after a few moments of hesitation, Kyungsoo breaks away from Sehun to use both hands to tug it completely off and expose the miles and miles of pale, unblemished skin under his fingertips. He sits back on Sehun’s thighs just to admire him, just to let his eyes drag heavily down his chest, stomach, before reaching forward in a moment of boldness to run his hands along the same path his eyes took, down the length of Sehun’s torso.

No words are exchanged, only Kyungsoo’s eyes flickering back up to meet Sehun’s, hands tilling on either side of Sehun’s hips. The Slytherin is watching him with his breath caught in his throat, chest heaving, hair tousled and lips so, so red.

And Kyungsoo smiles, when he leans down to kiss him again, smiles from Sehun’s sheer beauty.

Sehun kisses back easily like it’s second nature, matching Kyungsoo step for step, before the Gryffindor moves to kiss Sehun’s cheek, then his jaw instead. With his thumbs still stroking the skin near Sehun’s pelvis, Kyungsoo plants an open-mouthed kiss on Sehun’s neck, then another, and then another.

The boy giggles quietly, almost soundlessly, and Kyungsoo raises his eyes, smiling wider as he shuffles down to drop open-mouthed kisses all over Sehun’s bare chest. He witnesses Sehun gasp, muscles of his stomach beneath Kyungsoo’s fingers tightening and mouth falling open.

And when Kyungsoo shifts his weight to move farther down Sehun’s body, Sehun’s gasp turns into a quiet groan all of a sudden. One of Kyungsoo’s thighs between Sehun’s legs happened to brush against the growing tent in Sehun’s pants, and Kyungsoo swallows.

So, deliberately, he moves his other thigh as well, and is rewarded by a groan much louder than the last. Sehun trembles, eyes closed, red cheeked and red eared in embarrassment, but whimpers again.

It makes Kyungsoo all the more eager to kiss a trail down Sehun’s stomach, stopping at the waistband of his shorts. And Kyungsoo, seated in between Sehun’s spread legs, looks back up at his boyfriend’s face.

It’s twisted into an expression of pure anticipation, Sehun’s thin brows coming together in the middle of his forehead, eyes scrunched shut, teeth biting down on his bottom lip. Sehun’s hands fist in his sheets that look expensive, and Kyungsoo reaches forwards to place his own hand over one of them.

That gets Sehun’s attention, and he blinks open his eyes, gaze falling onto Kyungsoo, and their linked hands. A smile tugs at his lips, despite still having his bottom lip between his teeth, and he turns his hand so that his palm could face upwards, so that Kyungsoo could slot their fingers together.

“You okay?” Kyungsoo whispers, and it sounds far too loud between their harsh breathing and the ruffling of the bed sheets.

The only response he gets in a quick nod and a short whine.

That’s enough for Kyungsoo to look back down, using his free hand to peel away the waistband of the shorts. He already knew Sehun’s turned on, that much is obvious from the hardness at the front of the pants.

But Kyungsoo finds himself facing the stretching of Sehun’s underwear, straining, and he lets himself drag a hand up one of Sehun’s long thighs as he stares. Kyungsoo, deciding on latching his mouth to the paleness of Sehun’s inner thighs, delights in the way Sehun squirms at the wet kisses he places on sensitive skin. He licks the spot he had kissed, right on the inside of Sehun’s thigh, before choosing a similar spot on the other thigh to mirror the first.

But hands find their way into his hair as he drops messy kisses onto tender skin.

“Kyungsoo,” Sehun manages to choke out.

Kyungsoo only gives him a slight, half smile, blinking at him in the gloom.

“Kiss me,” Sehun mutters, and Kyungsoo does.

He goes all the way back up to Sehun’s lips, to lean down and mould their mouths together, losing himself in the realisation that Sehun misses his lips in the short few minutes where they stopped kissing. And Kyungsoo could almost feel Sehun melt against him, and it makes him glow in undeniable delight, simply knowing that he is the reason behind it, he is the reason behind Sehun’s quiet sounds and tense shoulders.

“Are you sure we should be doing this here?” Kyungsoo pulls away to briefly murmur into Sehun’s mouth, adding “I don’t want your parents to hear”, only for the Slytherin to huff out a breath of laughter.

“I do.”

“Sehun!” Kyungsoo chides. “I don’t think they need more reasons to dislike me.”

Sehun’s eyes flicker upwards, beautiful and intense eyes, irises searching Kyungsoo’s face until he meets Kyungsoo’s eyes. “I kind of want them to hear, though,” he says, and Kyungsoo’s breath catches right in his throat.

“Shit,” he groans. “Shit, alright then.”

He doesn’t need to be told twice to navigate to where he had left off, between Sehun’s inner thighs which now are both dotted with reddened patches of skin. Except this time, it’s like Kyungsoo’s decided that they’ve teased enough-- because hesitant fingers are hooked into the elastic of black shorts, painfully slowly sliding them down. Kyungsoo doesn’t breathe, taking one proper look at Sehun, before his eyes travel back up to his boyfriend’s face.

Sehun resolutely doesn’t look at him, head lying against his pillow and eyes shut. His lip is still between his teeth, and his brows remain furrowed-- in anticipation, in fear or in uncertainty, Kyungsoo doesn’t know.

It becomes evident though, the moment Kyungsoo inches forward, leaning down, and just watches as the boy’s face explodes into pure desire, pure hunger for _more_.

And with Kyungsoo parting his lips, taking a mouthful of Sehun, Sehun lets out a low and awfully loud guttural moan, reverberating throughout his wide chest. His jaw is slack, thin pink lips falling open prettily as he too falls apart much in the same way, if his noises are any indication.

“‘Soo,” he heaves, Kyungsoo’s thick lips wrapped snugly around him, and enveloping him in slick heat. It serves to blanket Sehun’s mind in an impenetrable haze too, not knowing much more other than grabbing as much of Kyungsoo’s hair as possible, and letting moan after moan fall from his lips. “ _Kyungsoo_.”

Kyungsoo hums in response, and the vibrations are electrifying, travelling up Sehun’s spine and making him lose the last of his conscious thought. He squeezes his eyes tight shut, another sharp whine leaving his mouth.

“Ah!” Sehun digs his heels into the mattress, spine arching beautifully off the bed as he writhes under Kyungsoo’s gorgeous mouth. “Kyungsoo,” he groans, loud and unafraid despite the echoing of all his noises throughout his large bedroom.

And oh dear, did he want his parents to hear, and to see their faces the next morning at breakfast after knowing exactly what their son has been doing with a boy they disapprove of so much _in their house_.

Exactly what he wanted.

Sehun’s stomach is stretched taut, fully tensed the way his broad shoulders are, the same way his toes are curled and his face is flushed, the redness going all the way down to his chest. Kyungsoo’s mouth inches deeper and Sehun chokes on a cry.

Though his arms are flexed in his effort to restrain himself from pushing Kyungsoo’s head all the way down, Sehun’s hips are more traitorous. Kyungsoo has to hold them down, firm hands finding either side of Sehun’s hips.

Kyungsoo pulls back, leaving a string of saliva in his wake, before diving back in, and effectively sets off a string of long whines from Sehun-- whines initially because of the loss of Kyungsoo’s mouth, which becomes louder whines of pure desperation the moment the hot slickness is back.

“Kyungsoo,” he pants, breath coming hard and fast, words nearly moulding into gibberish and becoming indiscernible. Not that he could even think to say anything but his boyfriend’s name. “Ky-- _ah_!” Sehun barks out, voice higher than his usual speaking voice by a few octaves when Kyungsoo sucks hard, swirling his tongue.

The poor boy gives up on Kyungsoo’s hair, too short to pull, desperately clawing at his bedsheets in pleasure instead.

“Kyungsoo,” Sehun sobs, completely helpless, long legs tight and tense, thighs trembling on either side of Kyungsoo’s head. “Kyungsoo, I--”

Kyungsoo’s fingers are back, wrapped around however much his mouth can’t, dragging his lips up and down the length with sudden intent, and Sehun lets out another loud string of moans.

It only takes Kyungsoo trying to swallow around Sehun in his mouth, the muscles of his throat tightening, for the Slytherin to completely stiffen, mouth falling open. And just like that, Sehun’s becoming entirely undone, spilling with a wail right down into Kyungsoo’s throat.

Kyungsoo pulls back, quite nearly spluttering, tongue darting out to lick his red, swollen, plumped lips. And with a quieter groan of pure disbelief, Sehun fists his hands in Kyungsoo’s sleep clothes, tugging him forward and over him to crash their lips together.

And in the midst of a whirl of movements and tastes, Kyungsoo’s moaning into Sehun’s mouth which tastes an awful lot like him. Movements of Sehun’s hands moving from Kyungsoo’s clothes to underneath them, touching and feeling all the skin he possibly could over Kyungsoo’s torso. Sighs, pants, Sehun’s half-lidded eyes, Kyungsoo’s parted mouth.

Sehun’s hands travelling down with no hesitation, Kyungsoo’s gasps at every touch of long fingers.

Sehun’s hands finding Kyungsoo’s hips, finding the edge of his shorts, dipping right under like an experienced diver throwing themselves right into the deep end-- no, it doesn’t feel like it’s the first time they’re doing this at all. Sehun’s movements are fluid, confident, intentional, like he wants and craves to hear Kyungsoo fall open like a book.

And Kyungsoo’s arms are shaking, from holding himself up over Sehun, so with his free hand Sehun pulls him down, pulls him down and into his space and close enough for him to kiss him again. Kyungsoo kisses him with the same slow gentleness, but it’s a different story for the way his hips move at the same time, grinding into Sehun’s hand.

Sehun tightens his grip-- Kyungsoo lets out a sharp exhale into Sehun’s mouth.

It doesn’t take long, Kyungsoo freezing and pulling away from Sehun’s lips. And the boy gets a good look at his expression as he soils his underwear and Sehun’s palm. Despite the exhaustion pulling at Sehun’s eyelids, Kyungsoo’s closed eyes and soundless cry is enough to put a grin of smug satisfaction on Sehun’s face.

Kyungsoo dips back down in a moment, messily landing his lips on Sehun’s again-- and it’s definitely evident that he can’t seem to stop kissing Sehun-- and promptly collapses right on top of his boyfriend. Chest colliding against chest, knocking Sehun’s breath out of his lungs, Sehun’s arm coming up to instinctively hold Kyungsoo by his waist.

But this is good-- this proximity is good. It means Sehun can still continue lazily kissing Kyungsoo, mouths melting slowly against one another’s, and feel his boyfriend’s heartbeat right up against his own thumping in his chest.

He likes how their rhythms don’t match-- both their hearts are thudding so erratically there’s no way they could possibly beat together. And he likes how he can feel the heat of Kyungsoo’s skin, how every inch of him is heated up and burning, despite how quickly it went.

They didn’t take much time at all, they were both so high-strung and in pure _need_ of each other, to touch each other, for the first time.

Next time, Sehun promises to himself. Next time, he’s going to savour it. When he isn’t so caught up on the revelation that this is Kyungsoo touching him, these are Kyungsoo’s hands and _mouth_ on him, then he would surely be able to take Kyungsoo in, take in his expressions and the noises he makes and his every little action.

Sehun wants that, wants more than anything to get to know this Kyungsoo, the Kyungsoo that can be heated and desperate and moaning.

Sehun smiles, arms looped snugly around his boyfriend’s waist, nose buried deep in Kyungsoo’s black hair. But for now, he’s happy just holding Kyungsoo against himself, listening to their heartbeats gradually slowing down together.

 

       

Sehun cards his fingers through Kyungsoo’s short black hair, the boy pressed up against his side.

His emerald curtains billow in the slight wind from the tiny gap of the window, and his eyes drift from Kyungsoo’s peaceful sleeping face to the night sky. His mother’s words don’t quite leave his mind, and he bites his bottom lip, sighing.

Turning back to Kyungsoo, he quickly plants a kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek, pillowed against Sehun’s chest, before sliding out from under him. He slowly moves Kyungsoo’s face to rest against Sehun’s pillow, peeling Kyungsoo’s arms away from his waist and untangling their legs.

Sehun rises from his bed, shuffling barefoot and bare chested to his wooden desk, grabbing his wand from his night stand on the way.

“ _Lumos_ ,” he whispers, voice hushed, as he silently pulls a sheet of parchment out from the pile on his table, and grabs a quill and ink. He sets his wand on his table as he sits, hurriedly dipping the tip of the quill into the ink and hunching over the parchment.

Eventually straightening up from his position over his desk, Sehun rolls his neck, throwing his quill back onto his table as he glances around his room.

“Vivi,” he hisses, a ghostly white shape in the corner of his bedroom shifting before two big yellow eyes are fixed on him. He beckons, and the owl, pale as the moonlight, shifts his wings before swooping across the room, silent as death. With a little flutter the snowy owl lands squarely on Sehun’s bare arm, and the boy hurriedly moves to roll his parchment up, grabbing a loop of string to fasten it tight onto Vivi’s leg.

He brings the owl to the window sill, letting the moonlight shine on white feathers.

“Don’t stop to hunt mice again,” Sehun whispers, his owl turning a look on him. “This is urgent. Take it to Donghae.”

The moment the owl lifts off from Sehun’s forearm, a sleepy murmur drifts over from the bed.

“Sehunnie?” Kyungsoo yawns, peering at Sehun’s lithe, exposed body silhouetted against the window in the moonlight with tired, squinting eyes. “Who are you sending letters to this late? Come back to bed.”

Sehun quickly turns back to the bed, hurrying over with a smile on his lips. “An old friend,” he murmurs, diving beneath the covers and letting Kyungsoo’s searching hands find the hard lines of his body again. “Go back to sleep.”

The warmth of Kyungsoo’s palms land on Sehun’s sculpted chest, his other hand dipping lower to pull his boyfriend closer by the waist. With a little hum, Kyungsoo snuggles closer, falling back asleep. He leaves Sehun to smile, looping long arms around his smaller boyfriend, holding him close to his chest. He lets his eyes drift shut, with Kyungsoo’s breathing against his own, and just prays for Vivi’s return as soon as possible.

 

Vivi must not have stopped to hunt, as ordered by Sehun, because he returns the very next night.

The poor owl looks absolutely exhausted, and Sehun quickly grabs the letter tied onto his leg before carrying him on his arm to his cage, where Sehun had made sure to have large chunks of beef waiting for his pet.

Vivi hops right in, devours the food in record time, and immediately makes himself comfortable for a long nap, and Sehun rushes back to his desk, ripping the string off the letter.

Kyungsoo returns from the shower just as Sehun’s finished reading, neatly rolling the letter back up with an unreadable expression on his face.

The boy sits himself on the edge of the bed, dressed in a black hoodie, the muggle clothing he likes to wear outside of Hogwarts. It’s far too large, sleeves falling past Kyungsoo’s fingertips and hanging loose on his shoulders as he dries his short hair. Sehun smiles, turning to him and leaning down to press his lips chastely to Kyungsoo’s in a short but immensely sweet kiss.

Kyungsoo’s eyelashes fluttering as he opens his eyes is beautiful, with no glasses hiding his eyes for once. He smiles, eyes searching his boyfriend’s face. “You got a letter?”

“Yeah,” Sehun hums, straightening up from his position bending down over Kyungsoo’s sitting form. “We can ask for dinner to be brought up to the room later, if you’re uncomfortable eating with my parents,” he offers, only for Kyungsoo to shake his head.

But before he could open his mouth to respond, a sharp rap sounds on the wooden bedroom door, and both boys turn wide eyes to the door. Only when Sehun opens it, revealing the family’s house elf, do they both release a breath of relief.

“Young Master Sehun,” the elf starts, bowing, and Sehun hums. “Mr and Mrs Oh would likes to speaked to you in their study. Privately.”

Sehun turns back around to let his eyes fall on Kyungsoo, sharing a single, long look between them. Kyungsoo smiles, raising his eyebrows, and only then does Sehun sweep out of the room, following the elf as they turn down the right side of the corridor. Kyungsoo waits for a moment on Sehun’s bed, before quickly standing, peering out of the room and watching as Sehun reaches the end of the corridor before turning left and out of sight.

The Gryffindor boy slips back into Sehun’s bedroom, and towards the desk. He grabs his glasses from where he had left them on the bedside table, sliding them on and only after a pause in hesitation does he pick up the letter that Sehun had just rolled back up, unfurling it.

‘ _Hi Sehun_ ,’ the first line of the letter reads. Kyungsoo frowns, eyes skipping down to the end of the letter, which is signed with ‘ _Lee Donghae_ ’.

Lee Donghae? The name rings a bell—it perhaps takes Kyungsoo a few moments longer than it should have to think of the smiley, messy-haired Slytherin in seventh year, who plays as chaser on the quidditch team. He looks back down at the letter. He didn’t think Lee Donghae and Sehun were so close.

‘ _I’m sorry to hear about what happened with your boyfriend_ ,’ Donghae had scrawled on the parchment, and Kyungsoo’s eyebrows go shooting up. ‘ _But unfortunately our situations are slightly different. You see, I’m only half-blood. My mother is the witch, while my father is a muggle, and I was raised by my mother. My mother was a Slytherin as well, but because I’m half-blood myself, my family definitely does not have the same discriminatory issues that yours would. My mother wasn’t the most overjoyed after learning that my partner isn’t only a boy, but a Gryffindor boy, but she couldn’t complain for too long. Hyukjae is pretty likable_.’

The more Kyungsoo reads, the heavier the realisation settles onto his shoulders. If he isn’t mistaken, Lee Donghae and Lee Hyukjae are the famous Slytherin-Gryffindor couple, both chasers on their respective teams and making Quidditch matches all the more interesting to watch (for Kyungsoo’s friends at least). But even Kyungsoo has to admit that he liked watching their chemistry during games where they were up against each other.

‘ _Hyukjae had come over, chivalrously greeted her, and it wasn’t hard for her to see how much we mean to each other. And besides, my mother is the one who had a baby with a muggle man, she can’t be too awfully uptight. The same can’t be said for your parents though, and it explains their reaction. Their perfect son, bringing home a boy, a Gryffindor boy, a half-blood Gryffindor boy. Of course they wouldn’t be happy_.’

Kyungsoo lets out a breath he had been holding. It was to a Slytherin senior that Sehun had written to, confessing the problems they have with Sehun’s parents, only because Donghae is in a similar enough boat. It almost feels as though he’s been hit by a strong _expelliarmus_ spell straight in the chest. Sehun was serious, Sehun had panicked, and Sehun is trying with all the power he has to fix it. Kyungsoo bites his bottom lip.

‘ _So I’m sorry I can’t help you_ ,’ Donghae had written towards the bottom of the letter. ‘ _And it’s unfortunate that the situation is so awful for you and your boyfriend, but to be completely honest, I wouldn’t expect any less from the Ohs. Your family and your parents have always been at the top of the wizarding community, and there’s very little they can tolerate—and you’ve just crossed multiple lines at the same time. I don’t feel like they’ll be lenient with this, but I wish you luck regardless_.’

The letter is signed off with a ‘ _see you at the first quidditch rehearsal_ ,’ but Kyungsoo’s thrown the letter on the table, hurrying to the door. He’s finally managed to pick up the sounds of raised voices that he must’ve missed while reading through the letter—and there, unmistakably, is his boyfriend’s voice.

Kyungsoo strides purposefully out the door of Sehun’s bedroom, into unfamiliar corridors. He’s never been taken around this part of the mansion in the two days that he’s been here—but the study isn’t hard to find by following the sound of yelling and heated arguing.

Rounding a corner, Kyungsoo realises with a little jolt that he stands right in the light that streams out of the study into the hallway. The door is open wide—in fact there’s no door at all. The study is an open room, with empty doorways on either end of the room. And in it stands Mr and Mrs Oh, crowding around a furious Oh Sehun.

“How _dare_ you,” Sehun’s seething. “How dare you call him such awful, awful things?”

“How dare _he_?” Mrs Oh shoots back. “How dare a disgusting half-blooded Gryffindor attempt to touch the Oh family and spoil our pure lineage with that muggle blood he has in him?”

Kyungsoo freezes, mouth running dry. It’s only now that he realises Sehun has his wand out, gripped in a vice-like grip in his right hand so hard his knuckles have turned white.

“No wonder you were never interested in the prim and proper _ladies_ sorted into _Slytherin_ from dignified _pureblood_ families we got you to meet,” Sehun’s mother hisses, circling around her son. She shakes her head in apparent disappointment, clicking her tongue. “Filthy. I would rather you told me you were infected with lycanthropy.”

Mr Oh steps closer to his son, peering down at him with narrowed eyes. The man is tall and slim, much like Sehun himself, but stands even taller than his son. His large frame shadows the boy, who still attempts to hold his delicately pointed chin high, wand still fisted in one hand. “We had told you long ago to stop hanging around those Gryffindor maniacs,” he hisses in that deep rumble of his, and the more Kyungsoo hears the more he becomes rooted to the spot, on the black carpet he stands on. “First that Kim boy you spend so much time around and his crazy parents, working in the Department of Mysteries like fools was bad enough.”

Kyungsoo faintly remembers Jongdae telling him that Sehun often invited Jongin over to his place over holidays, especially Christmas, because Jongdae would stay at Hogwarts over the break since their parents are never off work. But then again, Kim Jongdae and Kim Jongin are from a renowned, pureblooded wizarding family. And Kim Jongin isn’t the one that’s dating Sehun.

“But now you bring home a _boyfriend_ ,” Sehun’s father spits the word out like bile in his mouth, and Kyungsoo flinches despite himself. Sehun remains standing steely and still, however, in front of his father. “I don’t recollect raising you this badly when you were younger.”

“Wouldn’t that be because you never did much of the actual raising?” Sehun bites back, and only when he shifts does Mr and Mrs Oh actually get a glimpse of Kyungsoo standing in the hallway just outside the study.

Noticing his parents’ gazes move over his shoulder, Sehun turns, eyes widening in pure panic. His eyes lock onto Kyungsoo’s, Kyungsoo’s big eyes with his shaking brown irises. His eyes lock onto Kyungsoo’s trembling lips, Kyungsoo’s pale face, Kyungsoo’s stiff posture standing rooted in the spot.

“’Soo,” he murmurs, immediately hurrying forwards to extend his arms around Kyungsoo.

He shoots an absolutely venomous look over his shoulder at Mr and Mrs Oh, cradling Kyungsoo in his arms.

“The Oh family will now have Oh Yeonseok as their only son,” he spits, before grabbing Kyungsoo by the hand that isn’t still wielding his wand and tugging him back the way he came.

Sehun curses under his breath upon reaching his bedroom, door slamming shut behind them as he begins grabbing his things that he only just unpacked the night before. Clothes, stationery, accessories, books, all flying back into Sehun’s luggage in whirls of movement and colour. Kyungsoo stands in the middle of the room, only watching it all happen. He doesn’t quite understand, doesn’t understand why Sehun’s doing this for him, and doesn’t quite understand what it is exactly that Sehun’s doing either.

So in a quiet voice, he speaks up.

“What’re you doing?”

Sehun doesn’t look at him when he responds. “We’re leaving here. Let’s go to your place.”

Kyungsoo frowns, suddenly confused. “My place?”

“Your parents’ place,” Sehun says, standing up from where he had zipped his luggage shut, finally facing Kyungsoo. And for the first time, Kyungsoo notices the sheen of moisture in Sehun’s pretty eyes, the way they glisten under the dim lamp in the bedroom. Something tweaks painfully at Kyungsoo’s chest.

But still, he peers at his boyfriend, uncertainty raising his eyebrows and seeping into his voice. “Are you sure? I mean, they wouldn’t have a problem with you there, but…”

With a last sweep of his wand, Sehun grabs his scarf that hangs by his bed, and sends Kyungsoo’s own luggage rolling over to his feet with a quiet ‘ _accio’_. “But what?” he turns to his boyfriend, blinking a few more times than necessary—willing the unshed tears away. “Surely their place is better than this hell hole.”

“Uh,” Kyungsoo manages, still lost in the shine of Sehun’s eyes. “I’m not sure, it might take some getting used to—”

“Consider that done.” Sehun opens his bedroom door, taking Kyungsoo’s hand in his again.

“Wait, how are we supposed to get there? It’s not exactly close-by—”

Sehun only takes his luggage in hand, urges Kyungsoo to grab his own luggage, before he’s setting off at a brisk pace, descending the stairs down to the entrance hall. He tugs Kyungsoo down one side of the mansion, leaving the Gryffindor to glance around, expecting Sehun’s parents to appear at any time to stop their escape from the mansion. But then Sehun’s hurrying down a narrow set of stairs and they reach a dim underground room, with a large fireplace in the middle of it and suddenly Kyungsoo understands.

The Slytherin finally pauses, turning to gaze into his boyfriend’s wide brown eyes that he loves looking into so much. “I’m sorry, for everything,” he whispers. “You don’t deserve this.”

“Neither do you,” Kyungsoo adds, only for Sehun to smile silently at him.

“Which is why we need to get out of here.” He reaches up, pulling a little silver goblet off a high shelf sitting on the fireplace, holding it in front of Kyungsoo. “After you.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t need to be told twice. He flashes Sehun a quick, tight-lipped grin, before leaning forwards to take a handful of dust-like powder from the goblet.

Floo powder in one hand and his luggage in the other, Kyungsoo steps carefully into the fireplace. And with his eyes never leaving those of his boyfriend’s, Kyungsoo throws the Floo powder down at his feet into the fireplace.

“Diagon Alley.”

 

In a flash of green flames, Sehun arrives, luggage and all, in a fireplace.

But the first thing he sees is Kyungsoo’s bright smile, wide and overjoyed, as the Gryffindor boy runs up to him from where he had been waiting on the street.

“I thought we were going to your family’s place?” Sehun says, stepping out of the fireplace with his luggage in hand, dusting off his robes.

The street they emerged onto is a few turns away from the main street of Diagon Alley that students and parents alike are used to, with the few popular shops and Gringotts Wizarding Bank all along one avenue. The side street filled with fireplaces and shelves of jars full of Floo powder has less traffic on it, though witches and wizards are still occasionally popping up in the fireplaces or hopping in to travel through the Floo network. It’s the fastest means of travelling between places aside from apparating, but Diagon Alley only has the one place that allows Floo network travelling, because the system doesn’t go anywhere you please, but has set locations and stops. And the Diagon Alley stop is on this street, dedicated to Floo travel.

“We are,” Kyungsoo grins, and with a tilt of his head, beckons Sehun to follow him.

A few turns and corners and Sehun finds himself on the main street of Diagon Alley, suddenly pushed to and fro by hoards of shoppers visiting the stores or grabbing something to eat. A warm hand suddenly finds his, and he looks up to lose himself in Kyungsoo’s wide-eyed gaze yet again.

“Don’t get lost,” the boy is saying, continuing to pull both Sehun and his own luggage along in his hands, leaving his boyfriend to only gaze happily down at their interlinked fingers. No one along the street pays them enough attention to notice the two boys with their joined hands as they weave through the crowds of people, Kyungsoo seemingly expertly leading the way.

And suddenly he’s tugging Sehun around a corner, passing a florist with little toad-eating plants on the front step that snap at Sehun’s sweeping robes as he walks by. And turning onto a side street away from the bustle and chaos of Diagon Alley, Kyungsoo crosses a little intersection, turning right into another street, leaving Sehun to just blindly follow him in complete confusion.

But then he’s stopping in front of a little bakery that looks uncomfortably wedged between a bookshop and a tailor’s, and with a smile shot over his shoulder at his boyfriend, he’s stepping up to the glass door and pushing it open. It swings forward with a delicate twinkle, and Sehun’s hit face first with the aroma of coffee and bread the moment the door opens and they step inside. He vaguely registers Kyungsoo holding his hand a little tighter, adjusting his grip on Sehun’s fingers, before Kyungsoo’s pulling them and their luggage to the counter.

“Hello,” the Gryffindor pipes up, and the middle-aged man behind the counter hurriedly turns around from where he was busy snacking on a chocolate croissant. “May we order?”

The man smiles wide, and the corners of his eyes crinkle warmly as he hurriedly sets his croissant down. His eyes drop to the linked hands between the two boys before he turns his wide smile on Kyungsoo, who grins right back. “Of course. What can I get you today?”

The moment Kyungsoo asks for two mugs of hot chocolate and a mini blueberry cheesecake to share, rattling the items off the top of his head as though he has them memorised, the machinery behind the counter all jump into a flurry of movement all at once, and Sehun’s jaw drops.

There’s a kettle floating over to its stand to patiently sit and boil the water it holds, there’s cartons of milk flying out of the fridge off to one side of the little bakery, there’s a spoon digging itself into a jar of cocoa powder—and there’s the plate with the sweet treat, floating over to a table with two dainty little forks following on its heel. The squishy armchairs pull themselves away from the little coffee table between them invitingly, and Kyungsoo tugs Sehun by the hand with an equally inviting smile towards their table.

He slumps down on one of the armchairs explaining that he’ll pay later, but it goes in one of Sehun’s ears and out the other. He’s too busy taking in the little bakery with an open mouth, eyes sweeping over the entire interior. It’s much bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside, but that is the case for many magical places—and set on Diagon Alley, of course the entire bakery and café that is included within it would be full of magic, but Sehun can’t help but be a little bit enchanted by it all.

The entire place seems to breathe, and move in synchronised unison. From the steam from the kettle to the stirring of spoons to the opening and closing of the fridge, nothing is out of place, nothing about it makes Sehun feel out of place either. The chairs that pulled themselves out for Sehun were inviting, the aroma of freshly baked bread is heart-warming, the cushioned seats are comfortable, the tinkling of the door is delightful, the smile of the barista is familiar.

Suddenly a spoonful of cheesecake is being shoved in his open mouth, and Kyungsoo’s chortling from across the table as Sehun swallows.

But then Sehun’s humming in delight, licking his lips. Even the richness of the cheesecake—something about it makes Sehun feel like he’s tasted something like it before.

“Here’s your hot chocolates,” the man’s voice breaks Sehun out of his stupor as he sets down two mugs himself.

Sehun dips his head, graciously thanking the barista and reaching for his mug. He vaguely wonders why he isn’t leaving their table yet, but takes a sip of the drink and is too busy feeling the happy tingling all down his spine at the thick sweetness that he nearly misses the words exchanged over his head.

“So is this your boyfriend?” the barista asks, glancing between the two boys, and Kyungsoo nods, small smile on his lips. He turns to Sehun, looking at the boy from head to toe, up and down. “He’s very good looking,” is what the man ends up saying, before chuckling gleefully and hopping back behind the counter, leaving behind a very confused Slytherin.

“Sorry, he can be like that,” Kyungsoo laughs shyly, only for Sehun to turn wide eyes on him.

“Wait, what?” Sehun splutters. “He—you—? You know him?”

Kyungsoo nods, blowing on his drink before sipping on it, completely at ease. “He’s my dad.”

“ _What_?” Sehun blurts out, quite nearly dropping the mug in his hands. “That was your dad??”

Kyungsoo laughs now, he laughs loud and properly, with his head tipped back onto the back of the armchair and his eyes squeezed tight shut. He laughs so hard no sound comes out, just shaking in his fit of giggles while Sehun sits on his seat, absolutely dumbfounded. Only when the barista—Kyungsoo’s dad—comes back around to their table with some napkins does Sehun snap out of his stupor.

“Oh my God,” Sehun quickly says, standing to his feet and bowing, only getting good-natured chuckles from the man as he quickly reaches out to shake his hand. “I am so sorry, Kyungsoo didn’t tell me I would be meeting his dad here,” he babbles, flushing an embarrassing shade of red.

Kyungsoo’s dad, on the other hand, happily shakes Sehun’s hand, but moves his other hand still holding the napkins to pat Sehun on the shoulder in reassurance, heavy hand smoothing down Sehun’s shoulder blade in a gesture that is oh-so-familial. No wonder his smile was so familiar—no wonder the crinkles of the corners of the man’s eyes looked so warm, so inviting—no wonder the taste of the cheesecake sent Sehun in a daze of deja vu.

"It’s so good to meet you sir,” Sehun flashes what he hopes to dear god is his award-winning bright smile, letting go of Mr Doh’s hand. “I’m Oh Sehun, Kyungsoo’s boyfriend.”

The man chuckles at him, nodding. Sehun vaguely registers the sounds of Kyungsoo still wheezing in the background. “Good to meet you too,” Mr Doh says, smiling that wide, very familiar smile at Sehun, and the boy can’t help the thrum of warmth in his chest, the exact same feeling the hot chocolate gave him. “Now don’t be so nervous. Eat up, if you want anything else just come over and let me know.” Mr Doh sends Sehun a little wink. “It’s on the house.”

Kyungsoo clears his throat. “Can I get—”

“Offer is only valid for Sehun.” Mr Doh turns to shoot a look at his son, before giving Sehun another wink and heading back to the counter, humming under his breath.

The boy is left standing there looking gobsmacked before his boyfriend is pulling him down into his seat again, feeding him another spoonful of the cheesecake. Sehun shakes his head in disbelief, chewing.

“I can’t believe you did this to me,” he whinges, only for Kyungsoo to giggle melodiously back at him. “You made me look like a fool in front of your father, who I’m meant to impress! This is no laughing matter!”

Kyungsoo only hums. “Pretty sure he’s impressed anyway.”

 

With an anxious little grin over his shoulder, Kyungsoo beckons with one hand while the other holds onto his own luggage, shuffling up a tiny little narrow set of stairs from the back of the bakery.

“You know, when you told my parents that your father runs a business I didn’t think it would be a bakery,” Sehun grunts, lifting his bags and managing to somehow balance Vivi’s cage under an arm. The bird hoots unhappily at him when Sehun stumbles a little, and the Slytherin mutters an apology under his breath.

The stairs are tiny, only made for one person at a time. There’s no railing either, and no light overhead. Sehun vaguely wonders how in the world they would get up and down in the dark, but one glance at Kyungsoo’s ease climbing the stairs and he supposes that they’re all used to it. Their loud steps are muffled with the carpet lining the steps, but the wooden structure underneath the carpet still give them away as they ascend to the level just above the little bakery.

“But now it all makes sense,” Sehun sighs, heaving his stuff up the last step. “No wonder you’re so good at cooking and baking—it runs in the family.”

But Kyungsoo’s rolling his eyes at his babbling, only beckoning him further into the tiny carpeted space, with a few different doorways leading off. Sehun follows Kyungsoo into what is clearly the boy’s bedroom, so quaint and small Sehun’s grand bed at home would have a hard time fitting.

The walls are wooden, and there’s a small desk crammed into the corner. There’s no wardrobe at all, and Kyungsoo gives Sehun a tight-lipped smile, explaining that “I don’t have many clothes, I don’t exactly need one.”

He gestures around, before sitting on his neatly done up bed, looking up at his boyfriend with an unreadable expression on his face. There’s a smile tugging on the corners of his lips, but it’s more of an uncertain smile than anything else, and his round eyes look hesitant, unsure, as he gauges Sehun’s reaction.

“Well, this is it,” he sighs. “It’s no Oh mansion, but it was enough for the three of us.”

Sehun pauses in his looking around, turning to Kyungsoo with a wide smile and shining eyes. “No, I love it,” he breathes, happily inviting himself to sit on the edge of Kyungsoo’s bed with him, and the smaller Gryffindor only leans closer, slotting his head atop Sehun’s shoulder. It takes Sehun a moment of just sitting on Kyungsoo’s bed, feeling the weight of Kyungsoo’s head on him, looking around Kyungsoo’s room, before he pipes up again. “Is your mother not home?”

“She should be helping my dad out in the kitchens preparing dinner right about now,” Kyungsoo shrugs, before moving away and towards his luggage. “Let’s unpack.”

In a flash, Sehun suddenly remembers that it’s Kyungsoo’s mother that’s a muggle. And yet they live in Diagon Alley, in the heart of the wizarding community, and the married couple runs a magical bakery together and their son goes to Hogwarts.

He sits up straight on Kyungsoo’s bed, regarding his boyfriend with a gaze filled with curiosity, pout sitting on his thin lips. Kyungsoo’s moving books to his desk, leaving all his clothes in his trunk. He had already opened his owl’s cage, Pepper happily flying out the window and into the dusk light.

“How did your mother take to all this magic?”

“She took it pretty well, actually.” Kyungsoo says from where he’s bent down over his trunk. “It actually fascinated her—so much that she loved the idea of moving out with my dad to Diagon Alley where they started their own business, which was this place, out of nothing. She was even hoping that their baby would be magic, and was more overjoyed than anyone else when I received my letter to Hogwarts. She acts more like a squib than a muggle, she takes everything in stride very well.”

Sehun swallows this lot of information down his throat. “Then, I’m guessing she’ll hopefully take the news that her precious son has a boyfriend well too?”

“Oh yes, she would,” Kyungsoo chortles, turning to Sehun with a little twinkle in his eyes. “Don’t worry, they won’t terrorise you. In fact, my mum might have already known that I like boys.”

With a shudder, Sehun thinks back to his own parents, their scathing words and condescending looks, and flashes Kyungsoo a guilty pout. “I’m sorry about my parents.”

“Stop apologising,” Kyungsoo only laughs, throws a balled-up sock in Sehun’s direction. “Your parents don’t make who you are.”

With a cheekier side-glance at his boyfriend, Sehun only chucks the sock right back at him. “But your parents certainly seem to have made who you are.”

Kyungsoo strides over, pinning Sehun down into the sheets with one shove, hands on broad shoulders. “Shut up, smart ass,” is the only warning Sehun gets before lips are on his, stealing his breath right out of his mouth and sucking his air from his lungs. His arms involuntarily slide upwards to loop around Kyungsoo’s neck as he hovers over him, pulling his boyfriend closer as Kyungsoo licks and sucks on his bottom lip.

Sehun whines quietly into Kyungsoo’s mouth, kissing him back with equal fervour, lips sliding over each other’s and noses bumping in their haste. Sehun’s hands on the back of Kyungsoo’s neck tightens, before moving to cup Kyungsoo’s sharp, square jaw. Kyungsoo’s own hands run down Sehun’s chest, clumsily wandering across the front of his crisp shirt. Kyungsoo’s mouth tastes like their hot chocolate, both hot and sweet, and Sehun’s entire frame trembles in delight when Kyungsoo gently nips at his bottom lip.

The moment Kyungsoo pulls away for a breath, Sehun only lifts his head up to chase his lips, pulling him into another whirl of moving lips, hot breaths and quiet whimpers into each other’s mouths. But then the door is creaking open.

“Kyungsoo, time for—oh my I’m so sorry!”

Kyungsoo jumps up off Sehun like lightning, the Slytherin quickly sitting up from where he had been pushed sprawled onto the bed. A woman stands in the doorway, eyes wide with a hand over her mouth as the two boys clear their throats, Kyungsoo hurriedly straightening his collar while Sehun attempts to subtly wipe his mouth.

“Mum!” Kyungsoo groans, hands over his face in absolute humiliation, and the woman suddenly begins to laugh.

“This is the first glimpse I get of my son after half a year of not seeing you, and this is what I see,” she chuckles, teasing Kyungsoo’s red ears, red neck, red cheeks, red lips. “Sorry for interrupting, I only wanted to tell you to come down for dinner.”

Sehun catches her eyes, and he stands immediately, face just as aflame as Kyungsoo’s. “Sorry for you to have seen that ma’am,” he mumbles, bowing. “I’m Oh Sehun, Kyungsoo’s boyfriend.”

The woman regards him with a gentle little smile, one that looks far too similar to Kyungsoo’s for Sehun’s liking. There’s even the exact same heart shape that her lips pull into, but she too, blinks warmly at Sehun, having not taken any offense at all. “I guessed so,” she nods. “My husband told me about you. Told me about how handsome you are.”

With a twinkle of “don’t take too long boys, dinner is ready”, she disappears back around the corner, and Sehun releases a huge breath hearing her descend the stairs.

It takes him a minute or two to recover from the horrific experience, before snorting. At Sehun’s giggles, Kyungsoo’s set off too, until they’re looking at each other and laughing in Kyungsoo’s bedroom at the incredulity of the whole situation.

But not wanting Mrs Doh to get any strange ideas about what’s taking them so long, they both hurriedly come thundering down the stairs, offering to help set the table for dinner.

And dinner is marvellous.

Mrs Doh doesn’t stop asking Sehun to try her cooking, pushing all the dishes closer towards Sehun, offering him seconds. Sehun could only smile and nod, laugh shyly behind a hand, happily accepting the food that she places on his plate and in his bowl. His shy smiles turn into full blown blushes when it’s Kyungsoo that reaches for a dish to drop food in Sehun’s bowl, sending him a little smile when Sehun turns wide eyes on him.

Mr Doh ends up talking about the shop, about how he’s running out of ingredients and needs to make a trip to the grocer’s the next day. He peers at the boys, raising his eyebrows.

“You boys want to come down to Diagon Alley with me tomorrow?”

Sehun and Kyungsoo share a look, only for Mrs Doh to interrupt. “Let them go on their dates tomorrow. I’m sure there are places they’d rather visit instead of go grocery shopping with you.”

Sehun’s grinning, endlessly amused at the antics of the family. Mr Doh has a particular sense of humour, while Mrs Doh is sharp-tongued and quick-witted, but both are full of smiles and sunny grins, warm voices and even warmer gestures.

Which is wonderful and all, until Mr Doh asks Sehun about himself.

The boy freezes. “Uh,” he manages intelligently, frozen in place with the wave of anxiety that comes with recollections of the way this had gone down terribly in the Oh mansion. “I’m a second year Slytherin,” he stumbles over his words, running a shaky hand through his blonde locks as a nervous habit. “I play seeker on the Quidditch team.”

“Ooh, very nice,” Mr Doh says, and Sehun almost gasps in relief. He only manages a quick smile, blood literally singing in his veins as he downs half a goblet of juice. “And your parents?”

Sehun chokes on his juice.

“Easy,” Mrs Doh is saying, quickly passing Sehun a napkin that he holds to his mouth, his pale porcelain skin flushing red. “Don’t be so nervous, dear.”

But one look at Kyungsoo and they notice the way their son sits stock still in his seat, jaw clenched and hand frozen around his fork.

“My parents are in the Ministry of Magic,” Sehun eventually splutters out, flashing a look at Mr Doh.

It’s Kyungsoo who speaks up, quieter than he had been ten minutes ago. “He’s from the Oh family, dad. They’re a high-up wizarding family. Wealthy and famous.”

Sehun swallows, chancing a glance at his boyfriend. But Kyungsoo goes back to eating as though nothing is wrong—Mrs Doh takes the hint, skilfully manoeuvring the conversation away from the topic and getting her husband to ramble on about baking again.

It’s when Mrs Doh is collecting the dishes after dinner that Sehun stands, offering to help out. He lets Kyungsoo and his father remain seated at the table with their goblets of juice and slices of fruit cake for dessert that the four of them had shared, stepping into the kitchen that is just as small as everything else in this house. Small, but capable of whipping up some of the best things Sehun has lived to taste.

“Thank you Sehun,” Mrs Doh thanks him graciously as he puts down a stack of dirty dishes, and he only smiles back. It’s a few moments of only running water and the vague sounds of Kyungsoo and Mr Doh’s chatting as background sounds between them before she grabs Sehun a tea towel and he happily starts drying off some plates.

They work in completely comfortable silence, before Sehun glances at Kyungsoo’s mother out of the corner of his eyes and actually speaks up first. “Kyungsoo told me your story,” he says quietly. The way she smiles is so alike Kyungsoo that it’s unnerving.

“He did, did he?” she smiles, handing Sehun another plate. With a careful glance at him, she tilts her head, and her tone is gentle when she speaks. “Now, what’s your story?”

Sehun stills, blinking.

“Kyungsoo had written to me before Christmas that he won’t be coming home these holidays—and from the way you both reacted earlier, I can only assume he met your parents before you met us.” She turns to gaze at the boy fully, and Sehun quite nearly cowers back against the countertop despite her soft eyes and sweet smile. But her questions are out of pure curiosity and concern, worried eyes searching Sehun’s perfect features. “What happened?”

Sehun shakes his head, all his defences dropping in a single moment. “I’m so sorry,” he whispers again, and Mrs Doh’s eyebrows furrow. “They were awful. I can’t believe how terrible they can be, they treated Kyungsoo like absolute shit.” He pauses, eyes darting up to the woman’s face. “Pardon me.”

Mrs Doh cracks a smile at that. “But you chose to escape your own parents with him?”

“Of course,” Sehun responds in a heartbeat. “Kyungsoo didn’t deserve that, and I feel horrible for it. It was foul, absolutely foul to me. Just because they’re some big names in the Ministry, just because we’re a family of Slytherins, just because they have some sort of pureblood superiority, just because I like _boys_ ,” Sehun stops, heaving in a breath. A hand comes up to gently grasp his own, and he blinks up at Kyungsoo’s mother, breath catching in his throat at the gesture that is oh-so-familial.

He takes a moment to recollect himself, before managing a slight smile at the woman again, embarrassed at his outburst.

“Sorry,” he mumbles. “I needed to get away from them, we both did. So I suggested we go to his family. That’s why we showed up with no prior warning. I’m so sorry to have caused all the trouble for you and Mr Doh,” Sehun quickly says, taking control of his manners again, and lowering himself into a bow.

“Don’t be silly,” Kyungsoo’s mother snaps immediately, pulling the boy back up. “Stop apologising,” she says in a way so similar to Kyungsoo that it sends Sehun into a moment of shock. “You will always be welcome here. Even if in the future you and Kyungsoo don’t quite work out, you will still always be welcome whenever you want somewhere to go.”

Sehun winces at the mere thought of breaking up with Kyungsoo, furiously shaking his head, much to Mrs Doh’s amusement. “I never want to think about breaking up with Kyungsoo again,” he says truthfully, but the woman only laughs. “But thank you ma’am.”

“And now you can stop looking so terrified when we ask you about your details,” Mrs Doh continues, leaving Sehun to look bashfully down at his socks.

And in a sudden moment of seriousness, she abandons the dishes altogether, turning to Sehun with a look on her face that he has not yet seen. A hardening of her eyes, the way Kyungsoo’s looks sometimes behind his glasses, a hard set of her lips in a way that again, reminds Sehun all too much of his boyfriend.

“I’m one of your non-magic folk,” Mrs Doh begins. “So all those things you mentioned your parents saying? None of that mean anything to me. Slytherin, Gryffindor, pureblood, half-blood, muggle, wizard,” she gives Sehun a look that pins him down where he is, a look that absolutely commands every bit of his attention. And suddenly, Sehun realises where Kyungsoo’s no-nonsense, serious attitude comes from. “They’re all the same thing to me. They don’t matter.”

Sehun’s mind is reeling, his chest a second away from exploding, and a million things run through the front of his thoughts, but Kyungsoo’s mother isn’t finished.

“Actually, I realised years ago that Kyungsoo wasn’t into girls,” she smiles, before her face falls back into an expression of complete seriousness. “While those things don’t matter to me, one thing does. It matters to me that he loves you.”

Sehun’s breath stops up his windpipe.

“And it matters to me that you love him. It matters to me that you both have a special place in your hearts reserved for each other, that you’re irreplaceable to each other, that you won’t hurt each other. But I can see that,” she pulls away, returning straight back to the sink. “I can see all of that. So there are no issues,” she concludes, as though solving all the world’s problems.

And perhaps she hasn’t solved everything wrong with the world, she’s certainly solved all of the problems in Sehun’s world. Or so it feels that way, with the way his chest unravels, the way his throat relaxes, allowing him to breathe again, breathe for real.

And Sehun finds that the air in the cramped little kitchen is sweet when he takes a big gulp of air, as though he hasn’t been breathing since they arrived at the Oh mansion. He manages to get out a “thank you”, as sincere and heartfelt as he can, before Kyungsoo’s poking his head in the kitchens, eyebrows raised.

“What are you two talking about in here?”

Mrs Doh chuckles, even as she continues to wash the dishes. Sehun scrambles to help her dry. “Just sharing embarrassing childhood stories of yours.”

“Mum!!”

It’s when they’re settling down in Kyungsoo’s small bed that Sehun smiles, genuinely happy and relaxed, watching Kyungsoo pull the covers over them both.

“You’re lucky,” he says, Kyungsoo flashing him a curious look. “To have landed in such a wonderful family.”

As soon as he extinguishes his bedside lamp, Kyungsoo’s burrowing under the covers towards him, and Sehun holds his arms open for Kyungsoo to slot himself in.

“I did get lucky,” Kyungsoo hums, and Sehun can hear the audible smile in his voice. “I’m glad you like them.”

Sehun pulls away just the slightest, to peer at Kyungsoo’s face in the gloom. He raises a hand from beneath the covers to smooth stray hairs away from his boyfriend’s face, with his ears and eyes and heart open.

“But not everyone is this lucky,” Kyungsoo sighs. “Baekhyun, for instance, was landed with the short straw.”

“I remember you telling me he’s half-blood too,” Sehun murmurs, Kyungsoo nodding.

“It probably isn’t my place to say this, but Baekhyun’s mother was the witch, his father the muggle.” Sehun watches his face, watches every blink of Kyungsoo’s eyes, every movement of his plump lips. “After they were in a relationship, his father fell ill. Now, Baekhyun’s mother happens to be a nurse from St Mungo’s Magical Hospital, and managed to cure her lover with magic. But that meant she exposed her identity as a witch.”

Kyungsoo’s mouth twists before he continues.

“His father did not take to it the way my mother did. In fact, only then did Baekhyun’s mother find out that her man was an active anti-witchcraft movement supporter back in those days, and had a violently negative attitude towards witches and magic.” Sehun’s brows knit together, wincing. “So to protect herself and the baby that she already had, the only thing she could do was obliviate him.”

Kyungsoo sighs, and Sehun nods silently.

“So Baekhyun not only doesn’t know his father, but was brought up by his grandmother actually, because his mother returned to her busy job at St Mungo’s almost immediately.”

Sehun is quiet, in the darkness of Kyungsoo’s bedroom, silent in his thoughts. It all goes to convince him, make him more certain than anything else in the world, that he needs to treasure what he has with Kyungsoo. It's precious, the gentle and sweet feeling of home that they have between them.

It's a feeling too difficult to describe-- it reminds Sehun of the waft of a home cooked meal, the warmth of muffins fresh out of the oven, and the way Kyungsoo wraps his arm around Sehun’s waist under the covers.

And it makes him realise that this something he never wants to let go of-- this feeling of home.

Donghae’s letter, Kyungsoo’s mother’s words, and now Baekhyun’s story-- time after time again, he’s reminded to grab onto Kyungsoo and hold on tight, and hell he’d be damned if he ever lets Kyungsoo slip through his fingers.

Sehun shuffles closer to his boyfriend on the bed, long legs slotting between Kyungsoo’s, arms hooped over Kyungsoo’s torso and fingers drawing mindless patterns on Kyungsoo’s back. He nestles his face beside Kyungsoo’s on the pillow they share, so that he could feel Kyungsoo’s soft breaths against his own lips and skin, close enough for them to share the same air.

Kyungsoo doesn’t question it, but does breathe out a quiet airy chuckle.

“Stop thinking,” he whispers, and a tiny smile plucks at the corners of Sehun’s lips. “Sleep.”

And Sehun does, but the smile doesn’t really leave his face.


	9. alohomora (unlock your heart)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Mentioned character death within this chapter. tbh it's fine to read, but if you're REALLY sensitive about the topic of death, maybe talk to me first before proceeding. thank you!

With his hand in Kyungsoo’s, Sehun smiles, wide and genuine and bright, brighter than the sunshine overhead. Diagon Alley is as crowded and bustling as Sehun remembers it, from all those trips every year to buy his new school supplies and textbooks during his summer breaks. With a little jolt of pleasant surprise, he realises that this means every summer he would be coming to Diagon Alley to shop, and would then be able to spend time with his boyfriend. The thought gives him a warm buzz of excitement down his spine, the same thrill he gets with Kyungsoo holding onto his hand like this, leading him into a coffee shop.

They sit in a corner in a booth beside the window, talking with big smiles and quiet laughter over a late breakfast. Sehun isn’t sure how it happened, but they end up with their hands on the table between them, fingers clasped together, Kyungsoo running his thumb across Sehun’s knuckles.

And that’s where they sit for hours, ordering drink after drink, Sehun starting a game of getting Kyungsoo to surprise him with what he orders for Sehun. And Kyungsoo does, he plays along by ordering the strangest things on the drinks menu. In hindsight, that might not have been a great idea-- this is a wizarding town and a magical coffee shop after all. But to be quite honest, Sehun finds himself enjoying the Cockroach Fudge and Cream smoothie. (“It’s basically cookies and cream, it’s surprisingly good.”)

And when the waitress comes by their table to clear their emptied mugs and plates, Sehun’s first instinct was to pull away when he notices her eyes drop down to their joined hands on the table-- but it’s Kyungsoo who tightens his grip on Sehun’s hand, flashing her a grin and a raise of his thick eyebrows. Sehun’s heart jumps straight into his throat.

By the time they leave the coffee shop, hand in hand and the aftertaste of sugar and secret kisses on their lips, it’s late afternoon already. But the weather is warming up, the sunshine from the morning still persisting into this hour of the day, and despite it being in the middle of winter, Sehun lights up when he sports a cute little ice cream parlour sitting on the side of the street.

And because this is a wizarding town and a magical ice cream shop, Sehun is absolutely delighted to discover the ice cream that changes colour before their very eyes. Ice cream that never melts, staying forever in fresh and frozen scoops on their cones as they meander about the streets of Diagon Alley. Sehun points out how the ice cream is still changing colours even on Kyungsoo’s tongue, and he coos at the awe all over Kyungsoo’s face as he looks down at his cone.

Having had enough of going around the trying out magical sweets, they head back to the shop, and Sehun’s blood sings happily in his veins with their hands still linked together, swinging between them.

Kyungsoo’s father was more than happy to show Sehun the various charms he enchanted all the cutlery and utensils with, Sehun watching in jaw-dropped amazement as plates and cups move from the kitchen to a table seemingly on their own, how the tables are set with knives and forks that fly over without being asked. He tries to commit it all to memory, wolfing down everything Mr Doh tells him with an enthusiasm that he never seems to have for school work.

Kyungsoo too, shows Sehun all that he learnt from his father, making him beautiful golden crepes and waffles, whipping cream with a few waves of his wand, whilst also demonstrating to his father everything the house elves at Hogwarts taught him.

Sehun watches from where he sits with his food atop a kitchen bench, an admiring, fond smile on his face as Mr Doh marvels at Kyungsoo’s new inventions and recipes that he mastered during those nights he spent in the kitchens (with Sehun), jotting ingredients and methods down. Kyungsoo wears a big, proud smile on his face, and there’s a happy little tingle in Sehun’s chest.

He spoons another mouthful of dessert onto his tongue, tasting sugar and honey and Kyungsoo’s magic. It makes him smile around the food, feet swinging in midair in delight.

  


More often than not, they find themselves falling into a tangle of limbs onto the bed in the Room of Requirement.

Despite the castle essentially being empty, giving them the freedom to use and hang out in any room they desire, really, Minseok still finds himself heading to the Room if only to meet up with the Gryffindor boys every single day. The Room is private, it’s a secret between the three of them, the same kind of secret as Chanyeol always melting the second either of their fingers are in his red hair, and along the same lines as how Minseok is a little too fascinated by the delicate veins in Jongdae’s neck and his protruding adam’s apple.

But it’s not a secret that they all enjoy the bed in the Room of Requirement, a bed large enough for all three of them to toss and turn and roll in their sleep—but no, instead of that they curl up together under the covers, in different arrangements every time.

Sometimes Minseok finds himself sandwiched between Chanyeol’s hard chest and caged in by Jongdae’s thick arms wrapped around both him and Chanyeol from Minseok’s other side. Other times Jongdae and Minseok hold Chanyeol from either side of him, and he would always giggle happily at feeling their hands on him, their warmth all around him.

Jongdae gets his turn in the middle too, and he always seems to enjoy wrapping himself around Minseok’s back from behind, while Chanyeol would then spoon him as well.

But come morning, and all this changes.

For one, Chanyeol would have long limbs flying in every direction possible, and hair even more messed. The blankets would be hogged, and Minseok is often pressed right up against either of them for warmth.

Jongdae, on the other hand, starfishes in his sleep, ending up spreading himself out over the mattress, or even over the other two (“I lie over things I like,” he tried to explain, tone and eyebrows tilting right up imploringly. “It’s how I mark my territory!”) and Minseok would wake up to find a different part of Jongdae draped over him every morning—a leg thrown over Minseok’s hip, an arm across Minseok’s thighs, a hand on Minseok’s head, a head on Minseok’s lap. God knows how Jongdae manages to manoeuvre himself in his sleep to change it up every night.

But somewhere in between all of that, in between all the warm embraces sweet good nights and gentle touches and the softness of the luxurious bed, Minseok’s insecure.

Jongdae and Chanyeol have been friends for forever, since the very first day of their first year at Hogwarts-- hell, since they first sat together in the same cabin on the Hogwarts express and started talking about quidditch. Best friends over four years and counting, boyfriends for half as long.

They know each other like the backs of their own hands, Jongdae knowing how stroking one side of Chanyeol’s face with his palm nestled against his cheek makes the boy blush while Chanyeol knows that licking and sucking at Jongdae’s skin along his neck elicits the prettiest moan out of him.

And Minseok? He’s an intruder into both their friendship and relationship.

“No, you’re not,” Chanyeol would explain patiently every time, fingers intertwined with Minseok’s, palms pressing together.

Jongdae would frown, press his forehead to Minseok’s, hand on the back of Minseok’s neck.

“What Jongdae and I had between us stays between us,” Chanyeol would continue to murmur, while Minseok tried to focus on his words rather than feeling the fluttering of Jongdae’s eyelashes against his cheek. “What Jongdae and I have with you would then also stay between the three of us. It’s not the same.”

Jongdae and Chanyeol, and Minseok.

Jongdae, Chanyeol, Minseok.

It’s not the same.

The difference is slight, barely there, and is only too easy to miss. But with every single time Minseok’s gaze looks uncertain, flitting between his boyfriends, every time he looks down at his lap with a slight frown on his forehead, every time he says “you two” instead of “us”, they make a point to spend a lot of time and a lot of nights holding him. Holding him in their arms and making sure that no, that’s not what this is.

This is not adding an extra, and this is not a temporary insertion that will fall right back out in no time.

This is what they need and what they want, for longer than Minseok could ever imagine. They argue that this means more to them than it does to him, and Minseok would frown, immediately starting a heated debate with Jongdae and Chanyeol and insisting that this absolutely means more to him.

“But you two come as a package,” Minseok would say. It’s too easy, far too easy, to fall for the both of them, to split his heart into two equal halves for the two of them, to feel the same for them.

But he can’t guarantee that’s the case with Jongdae or Chanyeol—they’ve already given their hearts to each other, so surely the part they break off for Minseok would be less than what they’ve shared to each other.

He expected them to laugh, expected jokes from their mouths when he gave a voice to his thoughts, but he only received one of Jongdae’s gentle smiles and a fond blink of his long lashes. Chanyeol reached out for one of Minseok’s hands, pout already on his lips.

“If anything, knowing him for so long makes me like him less,” Jongdae joked, but the look on Minseok’s face doesn’t lessen, despite Chanyeol’s offended squawk.  With a sigh, Jongdae continued. “What if I told you I took back what I had given Chanyeol before we had you?”

Minseok looked up, at that.

“I took back what I had already given him, just to divide it again, with you in mind.”

It brought a smile onto Minseok’s lips, tears to his eyes, a new rhythm to his heart for it to beat along to. A squeeze of his hand and he looked over to Chanyeol, and found him very much mirroring the expression on Minseok’s face.

He kissed Jongdae. _Thank you for sharing your boyfriend_.

He then kissed Chanyeol, too. _Thank you for sharing your boyfriend, too._

 

“Are you sure?”

Jongdae groans. “For the hundredth time, I am sure. We’re coming with you.”

Minseok raises his wand.

The invisibility charm may very well be one of his best spells by this point-- but it’s his wand that’s still a problem. It acted up enough to backfire on him once, and that was enough for him to return to the restricted part of the library. Except this time, he’s not alone.

Chanyeol lights the way through the dim hallways with the lit tip of his wand, a little burst of light floating in midair while the rest of the boy is completely and totally invisible. Minseok wouldn’t even know where Jongdae is, if he couldn’t feel the warmth of Jongdae’s fingers wrapped around his arm, making sure they don’t lose each other.

The Hogwarts castle is terrifyingly dark at some hour past midnight, when they crept out of the Room of Requirement, casted the charms on each other, and headed off down the grand staircases. The carpet muffles their footsteps, and all the portraits in the frames are asleep, not noticing the hovering beam of light travelling down through the castle. They don’t all light their wands-- having three light beams is not so inconspicuous.

And though they stay silent between them, it’s obvious they all feel the same way about the gloom of the corridors, and the unlit corners and the strange sounds of wind that pass through the castle. Hogwarts is a mystery, one they aren’t too keen on solving, but this expedition might lead them straight into the heart of it.

Minseok leads the way as soon as they enter the library, strolling right through the gates for the restricted section after a quick and quiet “ _alohomora_ ”. His two boys don’t hesitate for even a second either.

Minseok navigates the dark shelves and worn spines with surprising ease, as though in his own home, snaking through the maze of books, books, and more books. The shelves stretch right up to the ceiling of the library, with some sections covered in cobwebs. Chanyeol crinkles his nose in disgust.

With the sheer darkness of the place, pressing in on all sides of them, Chanyeol nearly walking right into a bookshelf and Jongdae tripping on an uneven patch of the carpet from absolute lack of maintenance and Minseok catching him with an arm wrapping around his waist, they all have their wands lit now. Chanyeol shivers, not that any of them can see him-- the restricted section of the library has no lamps in it, unlike the ones that light up the main library for those students staying up for late night reading or studying. No light, peeling and rotten wood of the shelves, dead silence of the castle-- there’s something about the place that makes them glance around uneasily, eyes wide and alert. Or perhaps it’s the knowledge that the books obediently lined up on either side of them could hold information about dark magic, magic that could kill, could torture, or worse.

Chanyeol shakes his head. He doesn’t want to think about the extent of horrible things these forbidden books contain in them, written in black ink on parchment. Unimaginable things best stay unimagined.

While Chanyeol and Jongdae only stride along after Minseok, the Ravenclaw is raising his wand up against the spines of thick volumes as he passes, the light of his wand flitting from one side to another, from one book to the next. Eventually, his searching comes to an end, stopping in front of a shelf, waving his light against a few volumes in front of them, waiting for Jongdae and Chanyeol to come up next to him.

“This is all I could find on wands,” he whispers to them. Despite knowing there should definitely not be anyone else in the library with them, something about the place makes them want to shrink and creep along silently as though mice stalked by some sort of unseen predator. The books have eyes and ears, or so it feels.

It’s Jongdae who reaches forward to grab one of the books Minseok pointed out, leaving Chanyeol to follow Minseok as they meander down the shelf, wands pointed at spines and continuing their search.

But even with all three of them browsing through the shelves for what seems like hours, since none of them brought a watch and it only feels like the library darkened even more as the night aged, they walk away with nothing in their palms and exhaustion on their faces. Chanyeol did get bitten by the leather covers of a book that morphed into blunt fangs the moment he picked it up-- and Jongdae reckons he learnt more about veela hair wand cores than dragon heartstring.

At some ungodly hour of the night (or morning), they crawl back into the Room of Requirement to spend the rest of the time before the sky lights up again, and breakfast will be out on the dining tables in the Great Hall. Chanyeol pulls off his gigantic oversized black hoodie, hair ruffled into a big red mess, throwing his clothes onto an armchair close to the bed-- that’s when he sees it.

A book, thinner than their Charms textbooks, sitting in the corner of the room, behind the armchair.

He frowns. Immediately, he trudges over, bending down. Jongdae makes a sleepy noise of confusion from the bed behind Chanyeol, and there’s the rustling of sheets as Minseok sits up in bed.

“Did someone ask for a place to get answers?” comes Chanyeol’s rumbling voice, the redhead straightening up from his crouching position, book open in his palm, eyes resolutely on the pages he flipped to. Then his gaze flickers up, landing on Minseok. “The Room gave us what we asked for.”

With a snap in the silence between the three of them Chanyeol shuts the book, holding it up for the other two, and Jongdae gasps.

‘ _Traditional Wand Cores and their Untraditional Magical Properties_.’

Chanyeol returns to the large bed, sitting on the edge in his tight black shirt that he wore underneath the hoodie, flipping through the pages with his eyebrows scrunched and a look of pure concentration all over his features. All three boys are suddenly wide awake, their exhaustion from browsing the restricted section of the library long forgotten-- in fact, it almost feels like that trip was from another day.

“Sometimes dragon heartstring core wands act differently…” Chanyeol mumbles, finger dragging down one terribly yellowed page as he reads, and suddenly his round eyes light up. “...When there’s a dragon nearby.”

Jongdae and Minseok share a look.

“But they should never act unpredictably of their own accord, as that is a phoenix feather core wand trait.” He looks up, gaze shifting from one gorgeous face to the other.

Jongdae sighs, tilting his head in deep thought, which proves to be quite difficult considering their sleepiness and events of the day. “But what would there be a dragon in Hogwarts for?”

“Well, aren’t dragons usually used to guard things?” Chanyeol shrugs. “Like the ones in Gringotts?”

“What could they possibly be guarding then? And why put something so valuable in a school?” Jongdae falls back onto the soft fluffy pillows with a loud sigh, rubbing a palm down his face. “Where even in Hogwarts would you hide a giant dragon?”

“Oh I don’t know, but there are heaps of good hiding spots in Hogwarts. Lots and lots of secret places, you know it, Dae.”

“Wait,” Minseok pipes up, blinking his exhaustion away. “Hogwarts is well-known to have hidden many things in the past, right? Like Salazar Slytherin’s basilisk.”

“And the Philosopher’s Stone,” Jongdae adds, muffed from where he had turned to mush his face into a pillow.

“Perhaps we ought to start there, then,” Chanyeol murmurs, head turning back down to focus back on the book still open on his lap. Answers. It did give them the confirmation that they really needed-- but Hogwarts is a maze, with hundreds of different paths, and each one is hidden and shrouded in mystery.

“Would they really hide something in the same place again though?” Minseok’s eyes are on him, taking in Chanyeol’s features and expressions, gaze as undecipherable as the runes he tries so hard to solve.

“Well,” Jongdae turns his head, glancing at the two of them from the corner of his one open eye, black hair falling over his face and spilling across the pillow. Black strands on white cotton-- inky words on yellowing parchment. No matter how they look at it, the conclusion all three of them silently come to is the same. “Only one way to find out.”

 

The Chamber of Secrets is so well known that they’ve all heard the rumours—especially Jongdae, having come from a fully pureblooded and well-respected wizarding family.

It’s a Slytherin thing, he says. He remembers from somewhere, a vague distant recollection, that he heard it opens for those who speak parseltongue.

“Which makes sense,” Minseok nodded as they discussed over breakfast. “Salazar Slytherin didn’t exactly keep his discriminative ways a secret.”

Which is a problem. None of them speak parseltongue.

With only a few days left until school starts again for the second semester, they leave their mission to spend a few days together, properly together before they’ll get swamped with class work again. Anywhere from sleepovers in the Room of Requirement to using the Prefect’s bathroom again, before all the other Captains and Prefects come back to Hogwarts.

Kisses against pillows, touches under blankets-- good night kisses as their eyes drift shut, good morning kisses despite pillow crease lines and morning breath. Gentle, soothing touches along an arm or a thigh, heated touches across a chest or dragging down past a belly button.

Lots of smiles. There has never been a better reason to smile, for all three boys.

Chanyeol smiles against Minseok’s lips, smiles shyly when Jongdae indiscreetly watches him change.

Minseok smiles looking up at Jongdae when he straddles his hips, smiles at the flush on Chanyeol’s cheeks and big ears when Minseok squeezes one of his thighs or kisses down his abs.

Jongdae smiles at Chanyeol’s childish games and teasing giggles, smiles when Minseok pulls him in by the collar of his school shirt to tie his Gryffindor necktie for him once again, the day the Hogwarts Express returns with the rest of the school.

The last night before the semester resumes, Jongdae and Chanyeol took the chance to invite Minseok over to Gryffindor Tower. He’s never been, and smiles in clear appreciation for the cozy common room, with all the squishy armchairs and couches and the warm glow of the crackling fire on one side of the room. But then he’s raising an eyebrow at the messiness of their dorm room (except for Kyungsoo’s corner of it), and Jongdae and Chanyeol can only flash him apologetic sheepish smiles.

  
  
  


“Baekhyun!”

The brunette turns, eyes searching the corridor behind him.

The train ride back to Hogwarts the previous day was nothing but fun and games between the four of them, with Kyungsoo and Sehun, Jongin and himself munching on snacks Sehun bought and talking about how they spent their Christmas.

“Wait, why were you at Kyungsoo’s?” Baekhyun had asked in confusion, silently taking note of the miniscule change in Sehun’s expression and the slight stiffening of those wide, wide shoulders. “I thought you two were meant to be at your parent’s.”

“Sudden change of plans,” Kyungsoo murmured from where he sat beside Sehun as he tore open the wrapper for yet another chocolate frog. He had glanced up through his black glasses frames at Baekhyun, who sat opposite him in their carriage, and with a jolt Baekhyun had understood.

He’d flashed a sympathetic smile over at Sehun, leaving Jongin to look between his friends in confusion.

But it’s Sehun now, who comes jogging up to him from across the Entrance Hall, where he had ascended the stairs from the dungeons. After arriving back at the castle in time for dinner, all they did was trudge to their respective dorms and common rooms, unpack, and get an early night’s rest. Baekhyun had woken up at a reasonable time, for once, and headed down from Gryffindor Tower sometime after Kyungsoo had left. Jongdae and Chanyeol were still cuddled together in Chanyeol’s bed, Jongdae’s face pressed into Chanyeol’s chest-- they weren’t the ones who sat through a half-day train ride, who knows why they’re so tired.

But here’s Sehun, intercepting his way to breakfast on their first day of classes this semester, and Baekhyun blinks up at him curiously.

And before Baekhyun could chirp a bright ‘good morning’, Sehun opens his mouth and words come spilling out.

“Kyungsoo told me, about your story. The story of your parents.”

The blonde looks shy, looks embarrassed as he peers at Baekhyun’s face from beneath his eyelashes. He worries his bottom lip between his teeth, that nervous habit that he has, and Baekhyun only smiles.

And with that smile still sitting on Baekhyun’s thin lips, he leans forwards, searching Sehun’s face. He pulls away grinning as bright as the sunshine streaming in through the windows on the walls of the Entrance Hall—he must’ve found what he was looking for in his eyes, because he’s giving Sehun a knowing smile.

He doesn’t really care that Sehun knows, that Kyungsoo told him.

“Glad it could help,” Baekhyun says, before perking up and looping an arm through one of Sehun’s dragging him in the direction of the Great Hall.

They find Kyungsoo on the Gryffindor table, with not many other students at breakfast yet-- most must be tired from the journey back to Hogwarts the previous day, or were too busy catching up with friends on their first night back.

Baekhyun drags Sehun straight over to the Gryffindor table, watching as Kyungsoo’s eyebrows raise at their linked arms.

“How come you two came together?” he says, as Sehun sits beside him while Baekhyun goes around to plonk himself down opposite the love birds, grabbing a bagel.

“We bumped into each other,” Baekhyun says around a mouthful, reaching for butter and a knife. “What class do we have first?”

“History of Magic.”

Sehun snorts into his pumpkin juice. Baekhyun throws his head back and groans.

  
  
  


“As if we’ve only had one day of class,” Jongdae whinges, yawning, and Minseok scoffs.

Chanyeol waves the stack of parchment he’s holding in one hand that he wasn’t bothered stuffing into his bag, one step behind the other two. “The Transfiguration professor is seriously ruthless. Second day of school and he does this to us.”

“We wouldn’t have any time to look more into the Chamber of Secrets at this rate,” Jongdae grumbles quietly, quiet enough that the sound doesn’t travel outside of the little triangular formation they walk in, and certainly not loud for by-passing students to catch as they make their way to their usual study area.

“It’s worse for you, Minseok,” Chanyeol points out, a large hand coming up to gently, oh-so-slightly rest of the small of Minseok’s back from behind. The touch is so feather-light he wouldn’t have even noticed if he wasn’t so in-tune with his two boyfriends, if he didn’t pay so much attention to every word they utter and every move they make. “Stop complaining, Jongdae. At least we don’t have alchemy.”

Minseok barks out a quiet laugh, nodding in agreement with Chanyeol’s words. The content of the advanced class is hard enough, but surviving the intensity of the actual class is even harder-- reasons why by the time N.E.W.T.s and seventh year rolls around, the class would shrunken to at least half its original size.

“But what else would I be good for, if not complaining??”

“You can think about what to do with the Chamber of Secrets, for a starter!” Chanyeol jabs, chortling. “Even if we did have time to go investigate, it’s not like we’ve figured out how to--”

Suddenly, Chanyeol stops dead in his tracks, his hand leaving Minseok’s back to grip onto Jongdae’s black outer robes from behind, tugging him to stop his footsteps too. The smaller boy turns, fixing Chanyeol with a puzzled look, before following Chanyeol’s line of sight and lighting up.

“Oh look who it is,” he grins. “The love birds!”

Indeed, there sits Kyungsoo and Sehun, sharing a large table in one corner of the fourth floor study room, sitting on opposite sides with all their books and parchment and ink strewn out across the table in front of them. Minseok smiles. A study date.

“Sehun,” Chanyeol hisses under his breath, right in Jongdae’s ear from behind. “Sehun’s a Slytherin!”

Realisation flashes for a few moments across Jongdae’s round, almond-shaped eyes and his eyebrows pull right up. “Oh yeah,” he blinks, as though he’d completely, entirely forgotten. Sehun hangs out so much with their lot that it’s perfectly reasonable to consider him one of the strange Gryffindors by this point. “He is too. And the Oh family,” he shoots Minseok a glance from where he stands beside him. “Is renowned as a Slytherin parseltongue-speaking family.”

With a new bounce in his step, Chanyeol skips right through the doorway of the study room, making a beeline for Sehun and Kyungsoo’s table. With a bang, he sets down the big heavy stack of parchment he was carrying right on top of a thick volume on defensive spells with a glossy leather cover. The poor Slytherin boy almost jumps out of his chair at the sudden intrusion of noise and chaos (which the Gryffindors are embodiments of), and Minseok notices Kyungsoo roll his eyes at the appearance of his friends from where he stands behind Chanyeol. The redhead gives an enthusiastically loud, booming greeting, and the other students in the room turn in their seats, flashing him dirty looks

“Sehunnie,” Chanyeol starts, eyes bright as he slides over on a chair next to the boy. “You know how to speak parseltongue, right?”

“Why?” Sehun frowns immediately, and Kyungsoo flashes Chanyeol a venomous warning look from beneath the black rim of his glasses.

“No particular reason,” Jongdae tries to wave off, but is pinned down by Kyungsoo’s stare that immediately shifts onto him.

“If you’re trying to get Sehun to speak parseltongue just so you crazy lot can go and open the Chamber of Secrets, then I’m sorry but we can’t help you.”

Chanyeol splutters.

“How in the world did you know?”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, closing his book. With these two around, there’s no way he’s getting any studying down. He still thinks it’s a miracle they’re passing their classes at all (even more of a miracle that Jongdae gets shockingly good grades.) “Did you really think your speaking volume is low enough to keep secrets, Park Chanyeol? If you didn’t want people to overhear, at least make an effort to try not to be heard.”

“I can’t speak parseltongue.”

All eyes fly onto Sehun, the boy’s quiet mumble catching everyone’s attention immediately.

Jongdae frowns, confusion written all over his face, but doesn’t voice it until Sehun speaks up again.

“I was born with a natural lisp that just won’t go away. It means my words sound funny when I try to speak it, so I can’t actually say it right.” Sehun mutters, and Jongdae’s eyebrows go shooting right up.

He shares a look with Chanyeol, before his eyes flicker down to Minseok. They don’t say anything, just blink dumbly at each other, and really, they don’t need to say anything when their thoughts are identical. _Well. What now?_

“Why are you lot even trying to find the Chamber of Secrets?” Kyungsoo whispers, leaning forward in his seat, narrowed eyes shifting from one face to the next. If Jongdae didn’t know him so well, the piercing stare and the thick, furrowed brows would have definitely intimidated him. But one glance at the redhead beside him, and Jongdae realises that Chanyeol _is_ intimidated despite knowing Kyungsoo for four years.

Kyungsoo’s eyes turn to Chanyeol, landing on him and looking alarmed all of a sudden. “Don’t tell me you’re hiding the next horrible creature in there after the basilisk because you found some random animal and wanted to keep it.”

“Of course not,” Chanyeol immediately reassures, waving his hands, but Jongdae wouldn’t be so sure. That sounds exactly like something Chanyeol would do.

In the midst of Jongdae and Chanyeol obediently answering Kyungsoo’s sharp questions about trying to find secret places within Hogwarts, Kyungsoo shrugs and says “I don’t know about hiding spots as such, but Sehun and I sure discovered an extra secret passageway.”

That makes them perk up at least, and a corner of Kyungsoo’s thick ups twitch upwards.

“Third floor, behind the tapestry.”

“We know about that one Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol starts, but Kyungsoo shakes his head.

“Go in. Feel for the door on your right hand side once you’re in the tunnel.”

In a sudden rush of hurried excitement, the boys leave the two to their studying, sweeping out of the study room as they bid Kyungsoo and Sehun quick goodbyes-- Minseok shoots the Gryffindor a small smile, a polite nod of the head before quickly following his boyfriends as they rampage through the corridors and down the staircase.

With a quick glance around, ensuring that no one is around to witness them poking their noses in secret spots, Jongdae holds the tapestry open for Chanyeol and all his long limbs to clamber in.

There’s a vague wave of nostalgia-- the last time they were here, they were eavesdropping on Minseok and Baekhyun’s conversation about Jongdae’s prank only a few feet away.

And indeed, Chanyeol nearly falls straight through the invisible door.

His hand had been trailing along the right wall of the tunnel suddenly, and with the pressure of needing to hold up his body, one square of the wall had suddenly given way, swinging open right under his palm. The Gryffindor squawked, Minseok and Jongdae immediately climbing into the cramped, dark space. With Jongdae lighting up his wand tip, Minseok pulls his own wand out, trying anything from _revelio_ to _dissendium_ to reveal the second secret passage-- but the wall still looks like a wall, and yet Chanyeol’s hand goes straight through it when he tries it again.

So instead, the tall boy could only climb into the invisible door, quickly followed by the other two, slowly finding their way through the passageway. And without even realising while crawling through the passageway, the tunnel leads down, down-- by two floors, even. Because upon stumbling out from behind yet another tapestry in a mess of red and blue robes, the three of them find themselves outside of the Transfiguration corridor on the ground floor once they regained their bearings.

With his hands on his hips and a sigh on his lips, Jongdae looks around, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Transfiguration,” he mutters. “Yet again.”

“Surely it’s not a coincidence,” Minseok murmurs from where he dusts himself off beside Jongdae, turning his face to peer at him before Chanyeol speaking steals his attention.

“But that might be all there is to the passage. It may very well be just another short-cut.”

“Come on,” Jongdae sighs, jerking his head in the direction of the main stair cases at the end of the corridor, and they follow in his footsteps, ascending back up from the third floor again.

  
  


“Park Chanyeol!”

Chanyeol snaps back to life, entire body jolting in surprise, crudely ripped from spacing out.

He vaguely registers Jongdae’s muffled laughter from beside him, but it’s the Transfiguration professor’s outraged face that he focuses on.

They always sit together for transfiguration, and now, this time after a few days is no exception. Chanyeol glances around, finds the entire class of students with their eyes on him as the professor raises their eyebrows, asking why it is that Chanyeol hasn’t gotten his textbook out. And with a dropped lower jaw, Chanyeol remembers belatedly that he had lent his Transfiguration textbook to Jongin for some of what he considers to be light reading.

That boy is ridiculously advanced for his age, if only because of his love for books and those damn genes from the genius wizarding family. Chanyeol shoots Jongdae a dirty look.

And with a wave, the professor’s sending Chanyeol off to the store room at the back of the classroom just behind the front teacher’s desk to find another spare textbook, if he’s lucky. Jongdae has the nerve to smirk as Chanyeol passes in front of him, catching Chanyeol’s eye when his boyfriend looks back at him.

The Gryffindor trudges through, bending down to get all his long limbs inside the tiny storage room, and past the doorway. That’s when he pauses.

If he wasn’t bending down, he would definitely not have noticed it-- but there are strange lines on the concrete under his very feet. Strange lines, like long scratches.

Chanyeol looks back up, up at the old and rusted bookshelf sitting on one side of the tiny storage room to grab the one remaining textbook from the shelf. And if he didn’t notice the scratches on the ground, he wouldn’t be paying so much attention and looking so closely-- but because he is, because he looked closer, Chanyeol’s round eyes catch onto the blackened lines along the walls the moment he removes the textbook, where he previously thought was just shadows of the shelves. Blackened, charred lines—like it was burnt.

“Mr Park! What are you taking so long for?”

In a sudden rushed panic, Chanyeol hurriedly stumbles back out of the store room, bumps his head on the low door frame as he goes, heading right back into his seat next to Jongdae as he re-enters the classroom.

He’s cradling his head and Jongdae gives him a concerned once-over, smirk from Chanyeol being caught daydreaming completely gone. “You ok?” he whispers, as the Professor continues on with class. “Yeol?”

Chanyeol only makes a shushing motion, a silent promise for later.

 

It doesn’t take long. A quick excuse, that they need to do something alone, and Baekhyun and Kyungsoo head out of Transfiguration by themselves. As soon as they’re out of the class, Chanyeol grabs Jongdae by the hand, pulling him into a corner just outside of the classroom.

“Something’s weird in that store room,” he whispers, their faces impossibly close-- so close Jongdae goes cross-eyed for a quick moment. And they’ve been dating for so long, they’ve been doing this so many times, but he can’t stop the way his breath catches in his throat everytime Chanyeol corners him like this, with an arm propped up against the wall that Jongdae leans against. And the way Chanyeol leans close to him to whisper, lips inches away-- it’s awfully distracting, so much that Jongdae nearly missed what he had said entirely.

“What’s weird?” he says eventually, blinking up at his terribly attractive boyfriend, two seconds away from pulling him down by his red hair to seal his lips in a kiss-- but the way Chanyeol looks at him right in this moment stops him.

Chanyeol looks like it’s urgent, like the store room has been on his mind throughout the entire lesson, like it’s something he needs solved right this instant or it’ll nag persistently at him. Jongdae pushes thoughts of kissing the boy senseless out of his mind, for the moment.

“You need to see it for yourself,” Chanyeol whispers, straightening up and glancing around. This corner of the Transfiguration corridor is deserted, everyone left immediately once the class ended and leaving just the two of them.

So he pulls out his wand, and with a quick wave and a quiet incantation, Jongdae slips back into the classroom, completely invisible. Chanyeol stations himself outside of the classroom, ready to prevent anyone from going in and catching Jongdae snooping around while charmed to be invisible.

It’s unlocked-- perfect. Jongdae grins, stepping into the store room. The professor clearly didn’t think someone would come looking in the short time they have between class and dinner.

He stops, looking closer where Chanyeol very briefly described with a few hushed words, reaches forward to touch the black lines. Ash, black burnt charcoal comes off onto his fingers, coating them in dark smudges of soot—scorch marks indeed. Jongdae turns, eyes running up and down the long scratches on the concrete floor.

They aren’t awfully obvious-- the average student would definitely not notice if they didn’t try to look for it, and if they didn’t have an eye for detail.

He steps further into the room as he goes, bending down to peer at the floor.

But this is weird. His eyes, following the faint lines of the scratches, abruptly stop at one point. The lines, they disappear, then reappear again.

It’s almost like there’s something there, something that can be moved that broke up the floor so the scratches missed that one spot, that one square. Jongdae crouches down, tips of his fingers lightly grazing the surface of the clean, unmarked area. A trapdoor, maybe?

No handle, no key, no lock, no hinges, no nothing. But pushing against it he can feel the ground at that area shift the slightest against the surrounding concrete—a trapdoor.

“ _Alohomora_ ,” he tries. “ _Revelio. Dissendium._ ”

Nothing. Jongdae bites down on his bottom lip, eyebrows curving upwards and coming together as he racks his brains.

There must be a catch. There must be something—Jongdae pauses. This is the storeroom in the _Transfiguration_ classroom.

He looks back down at the floor. Transfiguration.

The Transfiguration courtyard, with Minseok’s malfunctioning wand. The Transfiguration store room.

What if he could change the door so that he could open it? What if he transfigures an impossible door into a possible door?

He does just that with a quick twirl of his wand, with blood pumping in his ears and breath held in his lungs—Transfiguration isn’t one of his best subjects for nothing.

And Jongdae watches as the floor warps, changing shape before his very eyes. The concrete door gives away to a wooden door with a handle, and Jongdae’s heart gives a loud thump in sudden excitement. He reaches forwards, rushes to turn the handle, and immediately his entire face breaks out into a wide grin that stretches from ear to ear in pure satisfaction upon finding the door does open to reveal a set of steep stairs descending down into pitch black gloom.

But Jongdae closes the wooden door again, quickly transfigures it back, and hurries out of the store room, taking care to close the door behind him as he goes. He tugs on Chanyeol’s sleeve to let him know that he’s back, still being invisible and all, the moment he spies Chanyeol standing stock still in the doorway of the classroom. The tall boy jumps out of his skin at the sudden touch, fumbling with his wand in his shock, a hand coming up to his chest.

“Fuck, Jongdae,” he complains, immediately lifting the charm, albeit shakily. “You scared the shit out of me! A warning would’ve been nice!”

But Jongdae waves him off, ignoring him completely. “We’ve got to find Minseok.”

It’s after dinner that they’re gathered around the gently flickering fire in the Room of Requirement again, a comfortable silence settling over all three boys. Minseok’s sipping on a mug of coffee, warming his hands with it, while Jongdae sits cross legged on the rug underfoot, eyes closed against the warmth of the fireplace. Chanyeol, on Minseok’s other side, hugs a cushion to his chest, blinking into the flames, seemingly mesmerised for a moment.

“We can’t meet up as often as we did in the holidays in here now,” Minseok sighs sadly, setting his mug down with a little pout on his thick lower lip. “We don’t have so much free time to ourselves now.”

Jongdae sighs, nods, but turns bright eyes onto Minseok. “But I did find a secret trapdoor today.”

“A trapdoor?” Chanyeol echoes immediately. Jongdae hadn’t told him yet, he wanted to wait until they had Minseok with them to explain his findings. But Chanyeol immediately sits up straight, round eyes fixated on Jongdae.

The boy could only explain, looking between Chanyeol and Minseok, Minseok and Chanyeol, gauging their faces for their reactions, for what they would possibly think. But before he was even finished, it seems as though the two of them have already made up their mind-- they're definitely heading down that dark rabbit hole.

  


Three shadows sneak around the corner-- literal shadows.

With their invisibility charms on, their physical body is completely hidden, but their shadows still stretch out on the carpet underfoot whenever they pass by the occasional lamp on the wall. But at this hour, the very few lit torches are dimmed down, and so the shadows of the three boys are barely visible too in the darkness.

You'd think they would be used to Hogwarts at night-- but Chanyeol still jumps at the odd swoop of an owl somewhere high up in the towers, and Jongdae still waves his wand towards every shadowy corner.

They met up with Minseok on the seventh floor corridor after leaving their respective common rooms.

Their hands manage to find each others through their lit wands despite their invisibility and the dark (a floating beam of light is pretty hard to miss), and Minseok quickly grabbed both of their hands and gave them both a quick squeeze. “Lead the way,” he had whispered before they set off.

He holds jongdae’s hand in his free one that isn't wielding his wand, while Chanyeol loops his hand around Minseok’s arm so that they don’t all lose each other, being unable to see where they all are. And that's how they navigate to the secret passageway opposite Sir Cadogan’s portrait, thanks to Jongdae. It leads straight down, through a tiny narrow set of dark stairs, down to enter right into their favourite study spot on the fourth floor-- and from there it's smooth sailing. The other end of the study room has a hidden passage behind a tapestry, the one Sehun uses to get back to the Slytherin common room, that takes them down to the ground floor, precisely where they wanted to be. It's a perfect process, and far, far too easy.

Even sneaking into the Transfiguration classroom was simple-- the lock turned with a simple “ _alohomora_ ” from Chanyeol. But that sets off alarm bells. The waters have been too calm so far.

Jongdae grabs the store room door handle, but alas, here would be their very first issue. The store room is locked.

And their suspicions are confirmed, with how Minseok’s quiet voice utters spell after spell, all of them bouncing right off the locked door with zero impact at all. Jongdae squints at the door. Something is clearly up with the place. No one places this many defensive spells on a store room if it was _just_ a store room.

He eyes the door-- he doesn't even bother trying his Transfiguration trick. It wouldn't work. This door already has a handle, the issue with it is how it simply withstands all the mild spells thrown at it. A transfiguration spell wouldn't budge a single rock on this mountain.

Why are they so afraid of someone discovering what's behind this door? Or rather-- _what_ are they so afraid someone would discover?

So Chanyeol busies himself casting full-blown _muffliato_ charms throughout the entire room, casting every single kind of silencing charm they know. Because Minseok stands back from the door, and murmurs an almost soundless “ _bombarda_ ”.

The door is blast right open, not holding up against the aggressive spell at all. Jongdae’s hands fly to his ears, watching as the thick wood is exploded apart, leaving a gaping hole in the door for them to walk right through. He just hopes Chanyeol’s muffling charms worked the way they should, and no one heard the explosion. So with a quick look around at the other two, Jongdae steps right into the store room.

 

“ _Reparo_.”

The door flies back into place, splintered pieces of jagged wood sticking back together in mid-air like a jigsaw puzzle, metal handle levitating from the floor to slot itself back into place as orchestrated by Chanyeol’s wand tip.

He locks the store room door again from the inside, turning to his two boys and quickly lifting the invisibility charm from them. Minseok returns the favour, but as soon as Jongdae is visible again, they find him crouching down on the concrete floor, staring down at the faint lines he’s trying to locate. His fingers trace up and down the scratch marks, following the long lines, letting them lead him back to the patch of smooth concrete. And he aims his wand at it again, and his boyfriends can only watch as he works his magic.

The concrete square shifts into wood, growing a handle out of nothing, a handle that Jongdae grabs and twists. The trap door falls open, and Chanyeol’s jaw drops once it reveals the darkness hidden underneath.

“How’d you do that?” Chanyeol whispers, eyes wide.

“Transfiguration,” Jongdae shrugs. “Something you’re terrible at.”

With a slight giggle, Jongdae begins to descend down the steep flight of stairs, his boyfriends murmuring quiet “be careful”s behind him. They all turn to _lumos maximus_ on their wands, one by one following Jongdae down the horrifically black of the tiny stairs, the shadows completely swallowing them up once they begin their descent. Minseok goes last, closing the trap door and transfiguring it back into a concrete slab from the inside.

“What if we need a quick escape though?” Chanyeol whispers from underneath him, and in the complete suffocating silence and gloom, it sounds like he has the loudening charm on him again.

“We don’t want to be found out though,” Minseok reasons in a soft murmur, bracing himself to continue down the stairs. “It’s so well hidden for a reason.”

All of a sudden, Jongdae, who is much further down than the others, misses a step in the darkness-- all they hear is a sharp, ringing yelp, and the unmistakable thud as Jongdae trips and falls flat on his chest.

He pushes himself back up, palms slightly bruised propped up against the floor-- and finds himself in the middle of a large stone cavern, grey walls rising up around him, fully encasing him in this underground hollow that is completely and utterly silent other than the sounds of the other two hastening down the stairs from above.

Jongdae stands, brushing dirt off his black school robes, waiting for his boyfriends to join him.

“Dae!” comes Chanyeol’s thundering voice, echoing all around and very much amplified by the rock that envelopes them. “Are you alright?”

Strangely enough, neither Chanyeol nor Minseok made the same mistake as Jongdae did, both of them jumping down the last step instead of losing their footing. Despite Jongdae’s reassurances, he has both the boys running towards him, concerned hands on his shoulders and back, eyes searching him for injuries.

But with all three of them, they can use their wands to collectively light the place up with illuminating beams at their wand tips, and collectively gape.

For they’re faced with a row of large round entrances to slide-like tunnels that were so black none of them could see them without light. The perfectly circular, gaping holes ominously invite them in, to be devoured by the complete lack of light inside.

Except there’s seven circular openings surrounding them, lined up in front of them, all identical in size, height, darkness.

“Shit,” Jongdae murmurs. His eyes shift from one tunnel to the next, not knowing where to look. “They could lead anywhere.”

“Let’s split up,” Chanyeol suggests, turning to the other two with a hard set in his eyebrows and determination written all over his handsome features. “Get three done at once. Send your patronus if you’re in trouble once you get through the slide.”

They stand there for a moment, a moment’s hesitation settling in the still air between the three boys.

It’s Jongdae that moves first. He takes a step forward, striding over to the very first tunnel. A random pick, with no idea which of them will end up finding the right one. Or perhaps they’re all right. And perhaps all seven are wrong-- perhaps this isn’t the right place at all. But how would they know that if they don’t take their chances?

Jongdae glances to the side, watches as Chanyeol moves to stand in front of the gaping entrance of the fifth hole, and Minseok the sixth, right next to him. A completely random set of choices.

Surely one of them would find something-- and if not, then they’ll just try again. Turning back to his own tunnel, staring down into the inky depths that awaits him, Jongdae inhales sharply, and dives right in.

The steep, winding, winding slide takes him shooting down, plunging right into the depths of the darkness-- but it comes to a sudden, abrupt end.

Jongdae’s sent flying off the tunnel, ending up sprawled on the ground, again.

Then the second thing he realises is the extreme cold—it’s cold, miserable, and his teeth are chattering immediately and it’s like this freezing feeling is sinking into his flesh, down through his bones, until his entire body is weighed down with dread.

Lifting his face from the ground, the dread only settles more heavily in Jongdae’s gut once he realises what kind of chamber he’s landed himself in.

It’s a big cavernous space, dark, without a single light—but the small light from his wand that he still holds out is enough. The place is filled with dementors.

They edge closer, reaching their black bony fingers out towards Jongdae, grey skin peeling and rotting, and he scrambles to his feet, tripping backwards in his haste. He bumps unceremoniously into the end of the slide that he had flown out of, and lands on the ground again, with a dementor swooping dangerously close—nearly close enough to reach out with its terrible, black mouth….

The initial panic ebbs, allowing Jongdae to think a little more clearly. It’s been a while since he last used the patronus spell. He backs hurriedly away from a hooded dementor leaning in to seal the Kiss, holding his wand in front of him as though wielding a sword.

He thinks of Chanyeol’s smile, how his eyes crinkle at the edges and pull upwards in that adorable way as he shows off all his teeth—how he looks like he’s crying when he’s laughing—how he tends to laugh so hard that no sound comes out. He thinks of Minseok’s gentle grin, soft touches on Jongdae’s skin, fleeting glances shot at Jongdae from under his eyelashes. Thinks of Minseok’s gorgeous frame in the dragon hide jacket. He thinks of the three of them curled up in bed together under one cover, his own fingers carding through Chanyeol’s red hair the way he likes it—Minseok’s fingers drawing patterns on Jongdae’s naked back, the heavy weight of Chanyeol’s thick arm draped over Jongdae’s thin waist. Chanyeol’s lazy smiles in the morning, blinking sleepy eyes up at him. Minseok who would come up behind Jongdae, pressing kisses against his cheek until Jongdae turns his face and lets Minseok peck his lips.

“ _Expecto patronum!_ ” he cries, opening his eyes. He isn’t aware when his eyes had slipped shut, he only knows that the dementor that had just attempted to begin the Kiss is being shot back, white streaming out of the tip of Jongdae’s wand, light filling the cavern

Jongdae’s jaw drops. Not only is the chamber filled with hundreds of dementors, at least, he watches as they’re all repelled at once by the blinding white light that surrounds Jongdae. And in the midst of that white light—he does not see his dolphin.

No this is certainly not a dolphin. This animal that shines pale blue is four legged, furry, each limb strong and powerful as it swipes at the dementors it speeds past. Its teeth are bared, long canines extended… whiskers stiff and the hairs on the back of its neck standing up straight in alarm, valiantly fending off all the dementors as it runs protective circles around Jongdae. This animal has a gorgeous, thick coat of shimmering silver, dark spots adorning it that blur with it’s running in the air.

A snow leopard. Whatever happened to his dolphin?

  


Chanyeol tumbles ungracefully out of the end of the slide, immediately leaping to his feet, wand in hand at the ready. Except nothing pounces at him from the shadows of the cavern he’s landed in—in fact, the cavern is actually lit by a few dim torches sitting high on the walls.

Then he spies something at the very end of the chamber. Shuffling closer, Chanyeol squints in to the gloom, raising his wand higher

A wall, lying awaiting him.

Chanyeol shuffles closer, frowning.

It’s completely blank, though.

“ _Reducto_ ,” Chanyeol tries. “ _Diffindo! Expulso_!”

Confused, Chanyeol fires spell after spell at it, and it’s almost exactly like the door of the store room-- but even more robust.

“ _Bombarda maxima_ .” Chanyeol huffs in disbelief. As though protected against all magic, the wall remains steady, still, stubborn, at the end of the chamber. “ _Revelio_?” Nothing comes up on the wall, either.

Surely the wall can’t just be blank, like this. But regardless of the amount of revealing spells Chanyeol attempts, the wall remains cold, empty, blank. No writing appearing on the wall, no secret code, no engravings emerging onto the blank surface.

Puzzled, Chanyeol takes a seat on the cold, hard ground. There is no reason for a wall to sit here, with torches that must be placed deliberately on the walls by a wizard, and be defensive against all magic spells.

No, he thinks, clambering back into the slide. Something isn’t right.

Chanyeol arrives back up into the large chamber with the many tunnels leading out of it with a simple _ascendio_ spell, only to find the entire miserable grey cavern empty. No one else is back yet.

It leaves Chanyeol pacing around the chamber, loud, heavy footsteps thundering around the enclosed space and ringing in his ears. He stops by one of the entrances, peering into Jongdae’s and Minseok’s tunnels respectively, craning his neck and straining his eyes to look into the gloom-- but no sign of his boyfriends.

  


Minseok shoots out of the tunnel and nearly slams right into a wooden door that looms up from the darkness to greet him. He scrambles, landing right onto the ground, just stopping himself in time from crashing into the door. But it doesn’t take him long to right himself, jumping back to his feet and eyeing the door in front of him.

A plain wooden door, with no handle on it-- no key hole, no lock, no bolts.

So he frowns, and raises his wand up against the door.

“ _Alohomora_.”

And Minseok’s eyes widen, blinking in his shock that the wooden door slowly creaks open, inch by inch.

That was far too easy, is all he thinks.

Then he door slowly opens fully, revealing the room behind the door, and his stomach drops down to his heels.

Two mangled bodies in front of him, lying on the cold, cold stone floor.

“No,” he whispers, throwing himself to his knees, crawling towards the bodies. Red shines from the flickering torches that line the walls, but Minseok barely notices his surroundings that is a simple chamber, lined with torches. He could barely see out of his tear filled eyes at all. So he can’t manage to tell whether the red covering the bodies is blood or just the Gryffindor house colours—but moving closer, close enough to touch, he sees the glistening of blood, and lets out a loud, resounding sob.

Jongdae and Chanyeol, bodies grotesquely twisted, blood staining their Gryffindor robes. Even now, Jongdae’s undone tie hangs against his unmoving chest, and there’s blood painting Chanyeol’s plump lips red, and Minseok throws himself between the two bodies of his boyfriends, tears splattering all over the stone underneath his palms.

“No,” he cries again, louder. “No, no!” Louder and louder he sobs, sitting back, pulling his legs towards his body and wrapping his arms around his legs. He rocks back and forth, face buried between his arms. He can’t look, he can’t take in the bodies of his dead lovers for a second longer.

His worst fear has actually come true, and with a bite on his bottom lip so hard he draws blood, Minseok sobs that it’s all his fault. If he didn’t drag them down here—if he wasn’t so intent on finding some stupid dragon—if he didn’t date them—if he wasn’t so foolish—

Suddenly there’s the sound of wind, thuds coming from the tube slide behind him, but really he couldn’t bother. Whoever it is can come, he couldn’t care less. His boyfriends are dead. Nothing else could be worse than his worst fear—

“Minseok!”

Minseok freezes.

“Minseok!”

“Minseok!”

He immediately raises his tear-streaked face from his arms, whipping his face to look over his shoulder—and he can’t believe it. Jongdae and Chanyeol, sprinting towards him from the exit of the slide.

Jongdae and Chanyeol, in the flesh. No blood, no broken bones, no dead unseeing eyes. Jongdae’s eyebrows are tilting up so high they nearly reach his hairline, brown almond-shaped eyes glistening as they take in Minseok’s wet, blotchy face, and Chanyeol’s deep frown etched in his forehead is fixed on Minseok’s curled up, miserable form, big round eyes full of life as they dart everywhere all over Minseok’s face.

“Minseok,” they both breathe, at once.

“What in the world happened? What’s wrong?” Jongdae shoots, hands gripping Minseok’s sleeves while Chanyeol’s large hands, roughened from swinging his beater bat all these years, are cupping Minseok’s face with his thumbs hurriedly wiping at his tears.

Minseok immediately turns his head to where the corpses are, where he could swear they were—except they’re not there. Only Chanyeol and Jongdae, the real Chanyeol and Jongdae, are here, whispering worried words, wiping his cheeks and caressing his face. He looks up over Jongdae’s shoulder, and they turn too, watching some sort of being hovering in mid air jerk as it rapidly switches between shapes.

There’s the flash of red, and Minseok flinches at the glimpse of one of his Gryffindor boys’ bloody corpse—but then it’s changing, becoming half a spider and half a piece of parchment. With a sigh, Chanyeol stands from where he was kneeling beside Minseok, pointing his wand at the strange mix between a failed essay and a giant spider.

“ _Riddikulus_ ,” he spits, and the thing pulls itself apart, turning into a little paper spider sitting innocently on the ground.

“A Boggart,” Jongdae’s whispering in Minseok’s ear, smoothing back his hair, still wiping the tears that haven’t stopped dripping from Minseok’s eyes. “It’s alright, Minseok. It’s just a Boggart. It’s not real.”

Minseok moves to suddenly clutch at Jongdae’s Gryffindor robes (which he can’t look at just yet, they’re all red and reminds Minseok far too much of his worst nightmare), sobbing again into Jongdae’s chest.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Jongdae murmurs still, hand gently petting Minseok’s head. “We’re here. I am real. We’re alive.”

“You’re okay,” Minseok finally manages to choke out, hiccupping.

“We’re okay,” Jongdae repeats. “I’m okay, Chanyeol’s right here. We’re both okay.”

Chanyeol comes striding back over and in one go, picks Minseok up from Jongdae’s lap, carrying him bridal style in his arms. “Let’s get out of here.”


	10. protego (i'll protect you)

 

It’s far too late in the night-- or should it be too early in the morning?-- and Jongdae follows after Chanyeol, closing doors and locking them as they go, transfiguring doors back as they leave the tunnels. Ascending back through the entire castle from the ground floor up to the seventh floor was a rush of laboured breathing and soothing words, uncaring for the noise they are making for once.

The Room of Requirement is always there, always inviting-- and Chanyeol barges in immediately as soon as the door appears after Jongdae paces for the third time in front of the wall. Minseok is still in Chanyeol’s thick arms, and they settle down all on the familiar bed for the night.

Minseok needs rest, and Minseok needs them. They are not about to leave him, or drop him off at Ravenclaw Tower, not after that.

Thank heavens it would be Saturday, where they can sleep in and rest with no classes all day that they would still have to attend after the night’s events-- especially because despite Minseok managing to fall into a fitful sleep, both his boyfriends dutifully wake up every time Minseok has a nightmare. Nightmares that his boyfriends are dead, nightmares where the could only find parts of their bodies-- but he’s shaken awake every time one of them notices him gasping out their names in panic, and then pulled immediately into Jongdae’s arms or Chanyeol’s sturdy chest.

They’re there to shush him, whisper soothing words in his ear that he’s alright, they’ve got him, they’re still here, and press gentle kisses to his face and skin, hold him until he falls asleep again.

At one point, Jongdae and Chanyeol no longer try to fall asleep, choosing instead to soothingly smooth a palm up and down Minseok’s back, and smile tiredly at each other lying on either side of the Ravenclaw. They’re awoken by Minseok’s thrashing and crying in his sleep often enough that Jongdae can no longer fall back asleep, and Chanyeol has given up entirely.

Granted, they’re absolutely exhausted in the morning, eyes bleary and squinted, but still both offer gentle smiles at Minseok when he wakes up.

Jongdae rubs a hand along Minseok’s waist, thumb drawing circles on the skin.

“Rough night, huh?” Chanyeol rasps in his hoarse morning voice from Minseok’s other side, and the Ravenclaw turns from facing Jongdae to look at Chanyeol.

“Sorry,” Minseok sighs, reaching for them and getting two warm palms placed over his hand in silent reassurance.

“You must’ve gotten a terrible scare,” Jongdae says quietly. “Let’s call this investigation off, hm? It’s dangerous down there, whatever it is.”

Minseok gives a few moments pause, leaning against Jongdae’s naked chest and listening soundly to the echoing of his heartbeat in his chest for a moment before he shakes his head. “I want to finish what I started.”

Chanyeol gives a low whistle, a soft smile sitting on his mouth in his efforts to lift the mood. “I see Gryffindor in you.”

“What are you, the sorting hat?” Minseok grumbles, snorting. “And I’m perfectly happy as a Ravenclaw, thanks Park.”

With a quiet chuckle, Chanyeol slides over on the large bed, large enough to fit all three of them, to press closer to Minseok and wrap his long arms around both of his smaller boyfriends.

“Tomorrow night then, Minseok,” Jongdae decides. “You need some rest.”

“No, tonight,” The Ravenclaw insists, turning to fix his eyes on Jongdae. “Tomorrow night is Sunday, we have class the next day.”

Jongdae sighs, and instead begins telling Minseok about what was down his tunnel, the very first one from the left, telling the two of them about the dementors, how there may as well have been hundreds of them. Minseok looks mildly horrified until Chanyeol began talking about his experience as well.

“We waited for you for quite a while up there, and even when Jongdae arrived back you were still nowhere to be found,” Chanyeol explains. “So we decided to go down your tunnel to look for you.”

“I’m flattered though, Minseok,” Jongdae attempts to joke, turning to look at him with a slight smile. “That our deaths is your biggest fear.”

“This is no laughing matter, Jongdae,” Minseok murmurs and effectively shuts Jongdae up. “I was fucking bloody terrified. Of losing both of you. I can’t fucking afford to lose you when I’ve just realised that I love you.”

A strange sort of silence follows his words.

The boy pauses, stilling, as his brain catches up to what he had said. A look horror slowly begins making its way onto his face, and he doesn't dare to look up at the Gryffindors-- but then arms are thrown around him, Jongdae and Chanyeol wrapping tighter around Minseok, squeezing him between their bodies.

“I love you too.”

“I love you more.”

“Hey, I love him more!” Jongdae teases, and Minseok actually laughs, giggling softly into Chanyeol’s shoulder as their argument turns into aggressive confessions towards each other too.

His heart throbs, in the same way that his heart thudded painfully against his ribs when they both said it back, as Minseok listens to Jongdae and Chanyeol quieten, their “I love you”s towards each other growing softer.

Minseok is grateful for having the rest of the day to rest. It means sitting in the Room of Requirement, with Jongdae and Chanyeol staying in the same space, enjoying the peace and quiet. The Room is strangely isolated from the rest of the school, or so it seems-- it almost feels as though the Room is an entire different world all of it’s own, suspended in time and space, where nothing moves too fast and time barely passes.

He somewhat manages to get some homework done on the wooden desk in the corner, but then he’s occasionally looking over at his boyfriends every time he thinks back to last night. The boggart, how very real it looked, the way Chanyeol had carried him as they travelled all the way back up through the entire castle, the way he remembers Jongdae cradling his head against his chest throughout the night. 

Seeing them happy and laughing with each other and full of life, he smiles softly, turning back to his studying. The Gryffindors take a moment to shoot each other a look the moment Minseok turns away again, but say nothing.

  
  


Come nightfall, they find themselves repeating the previous night’s activities, uttering the same charms towards each other, making their way down through the castle in the same fashion, with their wands lit and their hands linked. Minseok’s hand is cold and clammy and so tight around Jongdae’s, even though the Ravenclaw acts as though everything is perfectly normal. Jongdae could only hold onto Minseok’s hand tighter, as a silent reassurance.

Nothing has changed-- not the door to the classroom, not the door to the store room. Again, they must blow it open, but Chanyeol’s muffling charm had worked like a dream the night before that this time they aren’t so worried.

They descend the dark stairs through the trapdoor in the same order as before-- Jongdae, Chanyeol, Minseok. It’s a strange feeling, when everything is the same as yesterday (except for Chanyeol almost missing a step in the middle of the stairs and nearly falling on top of Jongdae), but they each know very well that the outcome of tonight will be vastly different.

Minseok jumps down from the last step of the staircase last, joining his boyfriends in the vast main chamber. The three of them stand close together, shoulder against shoulder and arm against arm, weighing their options.

Minseok eyes the remaining four tunnels, wide gaping entrances facing them. They could try what they didn’t try yesterday, or--

“Was there anything other than dementors in yours, Jongdae?” Chanyeol speaks up, and in the large stone cavern his voice is amplified and echoed until it booms around them. “A door at the end or something that leads somewhere?”

At this, Jongdae looks down, evidently embarrassed.

“I’m not sure,” he eventually admits, eyes on his feet. “I didn’t look around too closely, there were dementors everywhere. I was too focused on getting out.”

Minseok glances over at Jongdae beside him, nodding and completely, absolutely understanding. Faced with hundreds of dementors, who wouldn’t make their escape as speedy as possible?

“Let’s all have another look at the first tunnel then,” Chanyeol suggests, with a quick look thrown over at both Minseok and Jongdae. “Wands ready.”

Suddenly nervous, Jongdae opens his mouth to say something-- something about his patronus, mention how it has changed—but Chanyeol’s already at the mouth of the slide, jumping in and pushing off, down into the darkness. So Jongdae could only hurriedly follow, but not before giving Minseok a quick undecipherable look just as he jumps into the tunnel.

With the whooshing of air rushing past them as they descend, Jongdae could barely even see Chanyeol in the completely enclosed darkness around them in the slide, but there’s a burst of white up ahead-- half way down the tunnel, Chanyeol casted his patronus, letting it shoot forwards ahead of them. So Jongdae and Minseok quickly join in, three bolts of white light streaming through the slide and out into the chamber before them.

It’s convenient-- by the time the boys fly out of the slide and land in the chamber (Jongdae actually managing to stay on his feet this time around), the three patronuses are circling around the hollow stone cavern, bolts of white light fending off the dementors and giving them a wide circle of protection. Except they don’t notice anything around them, they’re all tilting their faces to look up at their patronuses.

Jongdae notices his snow leopard before anything else. It sticks out like a sore thumb to him, the change was so drastic that it’s still jarring to look at, to see it and realise that his patronus has changed. He still isn’t used to it, and suspects that it would take quite a while before he gets used to he new and quite foreign animal—but then his eyes stray, and his frowns.

Chanyeol’s dog looks a little peculiar—except now it’s not a dog at all. It’s large, much larger, with heavy powerful shoulders, giant paws and a thick, striped pelt.

The tiger prowls around the circle of light, snarling at the dementors with its big canines bared, forcing them back, and Jongdae’s wide eyes turn on Chanyeol, only to find him looking the same way back at him.

One long, long look shared between their eyes-- Chanyeol’s gaze is complete shock, confusion, questions written all over his brown irises. Jongdae’s eyes are unreadable, not as open as Chanyeol’s for anyone and everyone to understand, but the look he gives his boyfriend is complex and exploding with too many emotions at once. Uncertainty, awe, surprise, sudden realisation.

Because with a short glance, their eyes find the shimmering form of Minseok’s little cat patronus, appearing tiny when flanked by the two big cats. And it’s clear, suddenly, why both their patronuses changed, why it just happened to change to cats. 

Patronuses seldom change. In fact, a changed patronus is a once-in-a-blue-moon phenomenon, and is so rarely documented in literature that many witches and wizards still don’t believe it can happen.

Those who do believe it, however, often say that it can be due to a sudden shock, an emotional upheaval, massive strength in one’s feelings.

Minseok blinks away a fresh wave of tears-- Chanyeol and Jongdae’s patronuses both changed, only to match his own cat patronus.

Chanyeol turns away, resolutely refusing to meet anyone else’s eyes with his big ears burning red with how his patronus so easily revealed the feelings deep down in his heart. Jongdae, on the other hand, turns to blink at Minseok, a shy smile curving his lips upwards in an endearing, unsure way.

The taller Gryffindor clears his throat, holding his wand out in front of him and pushing on, heading further into the chamber with his patronus, the  _ tiger _ , clearing the way. Jongdae and Minseok hurriedly follow, snapping their focus right back to keeping their patronuses corporeal and in the air surrounding them in order to repel the hoards and hoards of dementors.

But wading through the dementors and shuffling through the cavern finds them peering at rock walls that make up the other end of the chamber-- no door, no window, no nothing. Just rock, stretching up from the floor that they stand upon to form the roof. 

“Damn it,” Jongdae curses. “This tunnel was a dead end.”

A hand closes around Jongdae’s free one. He glances to the side, where Minseok stands shoulder-to-shoulder against him. After a few moments, he manages a small and hopefully reassuring smile, letting Minseok and Chanyeol lead them back through the chamber to return back up to the main cave through the slide yet again.

Chanyeol’s patronus flickers and dies out in the cold air of the cavern, and he huffs loudly, turning to fix a gentle look on Minseok.

“Now, did you see a door or anything at the back of yours, Minseok?”

The Ravenclaw only quietly shakes his head. There was nothing except stone wall, torches, and blood-covered bodies of the people he loves the most.

“That leaves the fifth one to investigate.” Jongdae turns, pretty eyes and long lashes falling on Chanyeol, who peers right back at him. “Lets see what this wall is about.”

The wall is unchanged from yesterday-- just as cold, just as still and just as impervious as before, perfectly smooth and untainted despite Chanyeol’s efforts, and perhaps the efforts of any other hopefuls who had previously come searching down here in the depths.

They squint at the large, vast expanse of empty stone stretching up in front of them, and they lift their lit wands but the wall is uniform in colour and reveals absolutely nothing.

“No this is weird,” Jongdae murmurs.

Chanyeol nods vigorously. “I thought so too.”

“Something should be there. It can’t just be... empty,” Jongdae muses. “ _ Revelio _ .” Nothing.

Jongdae frowns.

“ _ Alohomora _ ,” he tries, even though the wall isn't a door. “ _ Aberto _ .”

“It's not going to work, try your door transfiguration trick,” Minseok supplies helpfully from where he watches beside Chanyeol, and Jongdae obliges-- but it’s almost like the wall simply reflects the spell right back off, bouncing it back with no impact at all.

For a second though, Chanyeol brightens, and Jongdae moves out of the way.

“ _ Incendio _ ,” he tries. The flames that erupt out of his wand from the spell don’t stay alive for very long, dissipating once hitting the stretch of stone. “ _ Lacarnum inflamare _ .”

Jongdae raises an eyebrow.

“I was just thinking that maybe burning it might reveal a message in the soot or something,” Chanyeol explains sheepishly.

“ _ Reducto _ !” The Gryffindors turn to watch as the spell is fired from Minseok’s wand, and doesn’t even leave a dent in the wall. “ _ Diffindo. Expulso _ !”

Minseok’s mouth twists in clear annoyance.

“ _ Tergeo _ ,” he even tries. Chanyeol frowns in unconcealed confusion. He doesn't even know what that spell is.

There’s a quiet little hum-- Jongdae’s peering at the wall with his eyes narrowed, contemplative look sitting on his facial features, before he lifts his wand, points it at the wall and mutters a completely foreign, complex spell that Chanyeol’s never heard of before.

“ _ Occulta atramento fasciculos. _ ” And like magic, lines appear on the wall as though something, an outer layer, has been washed off.

Minseok gapes, turning to Jongdae with big eyes. “What was that?”

“Well earlier this term, Chanyeol made my entire essay become invisible ink,” Jongdae rolls his eyes, and Chanyeol has the decency to look sheepish. “So I had to dig through all the library’s books to find the fix. And I did. It was just that spell.” He shrugs.

There’s Jongdae and Chanyeol, bickering as usual, Jongdae still huffing in annoyance about the whole essay prank-- But something catches Minseok’s attention. He takes a step closer to the wall, squinting. The lines are awfully familiar.

“What is it?” comes the echoing of Jongdae’s high voice, the two of them noticing Minseok’s undivided attention on the scratched patterns on the smooth surface.

“Ancient runes.” Minseok breathes, eyes wide as they run across the text, taking it all in before he grins and steps back.

And with his gaze still on the wall, travelling across the runes, he reads it out, translating it on the spot.

“ _ I live with air, I die with water, I look like ice _ .”

Silence follows his words, until Chanyeol tilts his head, peering at the runes. “Well. It sounds simple enough.”

“Is it a riddle?” Minseok’s nodding at Jongdae’s words, but then the confusion is seeping back into Jongdae’s voice. “I’d say it’s fire, but how can fire look like ice?”

“If it’s blue,” Minseok murmurs, stepping up to the wall. “Then it would look like ice, wouldn’t it?”

He doesn’t wait to gauge the reactions of the two Gryffindors. He raises his wand, and they watch, following his movements with their eyes as he writes  _ ‘blue fire’ _ with the tip of it onto the wall. Except when he pulls his wand back, waiting for the wall to do something, something seems to occur to Minseok because he’s gasping and starting to write again. But this time, the lines he draws onto the wall are unrecognisable to Jongdae and Chanyeol.

And the moment he pulls his wand away, even though the runes he scribbled onto the wall remain invisible, not suddenly magically glowing, it’s clear enough that Minseok’s answer was correct.

It works, it opens.

It must be that the answer needs to be written in ancient runes as well. 

There's a deafening grating sound, the sound of rock scraping against rock. The entire wall shifts, dragging itself aside with a tremendous grumble that seems to come from the stone cavern itself, to create a passage space and revealing what has been hiding behind it.

When the rock shelf finally stops, movement stilling and the chamber quieting with no more roaring of the moving wall, the boys slip through the gap and behind the stone wall one after another.

At first they see nothing-- the chamber they stepped into hidden behind the stone is vast, intercepted with pillars from floor to ceiling that look almost like the rock from above and below melted and stretched to join in the middle. And perhaps that is the case, because there are sharp spikes of stone that rise from the rock underfoot, while others descend from overhead.

The entire chamber is tall, immensely high and so large that none of the other sides or walls are visible from where they stand at the entrance.

It's dark though, dark enough to remind Jongdae of the horrid dementor-filled cave with its complete lack of light and how pitch black it is. The stone itself that encloses them within the cavern seems almost black too, without a single light to illuminate the place-- until a spray of something brilliantly blue and scorching hot lashes out at them from the gloom.

Chanyeol jumps, immediately grabbing Minseok’s forearm in one big hand, tugging the smaller Ravenclaw behind a stone pillar hastily. They vaguely register Jongdae’s hiss of “I see what the riddle meant now,” before another stream of blinding blue shoots out from seemingly nowhere, hitting a stone spike that was pointing upwards from the floor and coating it in a halo of glowing blue before the stone shatters into a thousand pieces.

The silence and darkness that follows after is terrifying-- they wait, breaths baited and heart pounding, for the next burst of ice-like flames to attack them from any random direction. But it seems as though whatever it is is also waiting, waiting for them to move so it can aim it's fire and reduce the boys in their entirety to ashes. The solid block of stone couldn't manage to withstand the heat for even a few seconds before it became nothing more than flecks of black. Minseok swallows. Fragile human bones and soft organs wouldn't stand a chance.

Taking his chance, with no activity from the black depths of the cave, Chanyeol peers out from behind the rock they hide behind, eyes rounded and darting all over the place.

He stiffens, mouth dropping open.

He whispers something to himself under his breath, words hushed in fear-- or awe, or both. Minseok frowns, leaning closer to him and prodding the Gryffindor on the shoulder to drag his attention away from whatever it is that he's discovered. The boy turns to Minseok, eyes so wide it takes his boyfriend back by surprise for a moment.

“I can't believe it,” he mutters, with barely any volume to his words, but in the silence of the cave it feels as though he were shouting.

“What?”

“A Swedish Short-snout,” Chanyeol almost jumps on the spot, trembling in excitement he can barely contain, but Minseok only peers at him with his brows furrowing further.

“A  _ what _ ?”

A blast drowns out Chanyeol’s words, and they glance over to find Jongdae scurrying in the shadows from one tall rock tower to another, his previous shelter being blown apart with the sheer heat of the fire.

“A species of dragon native to Sweden,” Chanyeol’s blabbering on, but Minseok silences him with a hand over his mouth. He really doesn't need to know the history, distribution, diet and reproduction of the creature, and Chanyeol seems to understand that if the way he meekly closes his mouth is any indication.

“Jongdae!” Minseok calls, not being able to see the other boy anymore, not with the dark rocks in the way. “It's a fucking dragon!”

“I could tell!” comes that distinctive sharp, ringing voice from another side of the cave, and Minseok breathes a sigh of relief that Jongdae seems fine. “We-- watch out!!  _ Relashio _ !”

An ear-splitting roar resounds within the stone walls, dangerously close to Chanyeol and Minseok’s hiding spot, and the two of them jump, ears ringing with the horrible almost-metallic grating sound. And then the cave is lit up by another flash of bright blue, but this time directed away from them, and their wide eyes meet in the dark, sharing a look of pure terror. The beast must have fired towards Jongdae, for the slash he tried to inflict on the dragon.

“Jongdae!!” Chanyeol screams desperately, immediately darting out from behind the rock they used as shelter, and Minseok’s eyes widen.

He shoots out an arm, trying to grab onto the tail of Chanyeol’s Gryffindor robes, but he's not fast enough-- the boy slips right through his fingers and right into the open. Minseok’s stomach drops right down to his feet.

All he can think about is his worst fear, his absolute worst fear. Living through it once was more than enough.

Chanyeol, in the middle of the cavern, pauses and shifts his eyes from searching for Jongdae in the dark, gaze swivelling and falling upon a blur of electric blue, and he gasps. 

And with the most horrible scraping sound of sharp claws on stone, the beast shuffles around towards him.

Chanyeol holds his breath.

The dragon is gigantic, easily towering over him, cramped under the low walls and squeezed between the rock spikes of the cavern, and would probably reach a length of over 20 feet if he were to measure it. Every single limb, all four of them, thick with powerful muscles that shift and ripple as the dragon turns from where Jongdae must be hiding to fix its huge, deep blue eyes on Chanyeol.

A stunning creature, Chanyeol can't help but think.

Each long, black claw wickedly sharp, dragging across the stone, and each tooth and fang glinting and terrifying. But it's skin, it shines a metallic shimmer in blue-grey, almost as though every single individual massive scale were a plate made of metal and sprayed with a paint that looked like it could glow even in this pressing darkness.

It's silvery skin glimmers a little differently with every movement the dragon makes, it's scales shifting against each other as it tenses, big deep blue eyes falling onto the tall redhead.

But instead of running, or cowering, Chanyeol stands a little straighter, lowering his eyes to the dragon's chest instead of it's face. And then takes a step closer. 

That causes a huff of something navy blue to spurt out from gigantic nostrils, and Chanyeol immediately ducks, acting on complete fear reflex-- fear that the dragon would shoot fire at him any second, with him out in the open and absolutely vulnerable. And only a few seconds of exposure to the brilliant blue flame of the Swedish Short-snout is enough for timber and bone to be reduced to ashes.

So when Chanyeol straightens back up, albeit a little shakily at the deep blue puff of smoke he had induced from the dragon, his hand is also trembling just as much when he reaches out with it, palm open and facing up.

His eyes resolutely stay on the dragon’s chest, not daring to look up at its face in fear of angering it even further.

“Easy,” he breathes, and his voice too, is shaking and shuddering in the frozen air of the dark caverns. It would perhaps be completely silent, if not for his own thudding heartbeat and ragged breathing-- and the slightest shift from the dragon would shatter the tense silence that hangs over all of them.

Reptilian blue eyes drop down to the human hand stretched out towards it, and Chanyeol shuffles a little closer once more, extending his open palm further in an act of peace.

The beast doesn’t react for a moment-- but only for a moment.

All of a sudden, the dragon backs away from Chanyeol with a deafening hiss, startling the poor boy into a full-body jump, immediately retracting his hand and stepping back-- but not quick enough.

The dragon gives no other warning before shots of cobalt fire stream out through its nose.

Chanyeol’s eyes widen, brown irises filled with a vision of blue-- but a heartbeat later, that’s blocked by a head of brown hair.

Chanyeol only barely registers a familiar high-pitched shout in the background, it’s as though all sounds are muted and their surroundings fade around them as he takes it all in.

Minseok, standing infront of him, facing him, with his dragon hide jacket pulled up behind him and his back facing the onset of the dragon’s fire. He’s holding up the jacket behind him, shielding both of them with it-- and his face is close, so ridiculously close to Chanyeol’s, that the Gryffindor could feel the heaves of air Minseok breathes out against his own skin.

There’s a shine of blue on one side of Minseok’s face-- strange, that the flames are almost bouncing off the jacket. But Minseok breaks the eye contact that he had fixed right onto Chanyeol, looking off to the side. And Chanyeol does the same, follows his gaze, only to find Jongdae standing away from his hideout, pointing his wand at them.

And only now does it click, and Chanyeol gasps with the way his heart suddenly wrenches, at the thought that Minseok immediately leaped from hiding to run in front of him with the jacket, and the thought of Jongdae risking being discovered by the dragon a second time to step out with an immediate  _ protego  _ charm, the only thing that saved his two boyfriends.

The fire stops, and Minseok relaxes, lowering the jacket stretched out across his back just the slightest bit-- but it’s mere minutes until there’s another flash of blinding blue that lights up the dark depths of the cave, and he quickly reflexively pulls the jacket over their heads again.

But the shot of blue is in a whole different direction-- which is confirmed when they hear a sharp cry amongst the deafening sounds of shattering and tumbling rocks.

Chanyeol’s breath stops in his throat, and he quickly jumps away from Minseok just in time to watch as Jongdae falls, and rolls on the stone floor, just managing to avoid another blast of fire, disappearing behind a large irregularly shaped rock rising up out of the ground. He left piles of rubble in his wake, where he must have been standing just them, because the dragon had aimed its fire and destroyed almost everything. And as the dragon swings it’s majestic silver head around, Chanyeol jumps behind a stone spike towering up from the floor, before quickly moving to hide behind the next one.

Minseok is hot on his heels, quiet footsteps just behind Chanyeol as they weave between rocks, scurrying from one shelter to the next like mice-- until they finally reach where Chanyeol  had last seen Jongdae, rolling into the shadows behind the rock.

And he finds Jongdae there, still lying on the cold stone floor, still and unmoving.

“Jongdae!” he cries, dropping to his knees and reaching his big hands out, pulling his smaller boyfriend to him-- but then Jongdae lets out a hiss.

Minseok comes up beside Chanyeol, immediately curling a hand around one side of Jongdae’s face-- and looking closer in the gloom, Chanyeol gasps, noticing Jongdae shakily cradling his right arm to his body.

Minseok must have noticed too, immediately looking closer at Jongdae’s arm.

The sudden intense heat had completely melted off the entire sleeve of Jongdae’s robes, exposing the fragile skin of his arm to the searing fire of the Swedish Short-snout-- but he must have dodged incredibly quickly, and missed most of the flame. The skin of his entire arm is bright red, blistering, cracks in the skin all along the back of his forearm, and there’s a glistening sheen over the entire limb. Chanyeol winces, looking away.

It’s Minseok who gently cradles Jongdae against himself, soft soothing words spoken in his ear, peering closer at the burn, brows furrowed in deep concern with the pain written all over Jongdae’s face.

But the entire cavern seems to shake-- and the stone they rest behind crumbles down like its made of sand, blue flames lapping it up and absolutely devouring the massive black rock. While Chanyeol casts yet another shield charm, protecting them from the rock pieces raining down all around them as the stone is destroyed by blast after blast of blue fire, Jongdae slowly uses his left hand to take his wand from his injured arm.

He must’ve have gotten burnt when the dragon turned on him after blasting at Chanyeol, and shot blue fire at Jongdae and his outstretched arm, since he had been casting that protective shield over Chanyeol and Minseok-- Minseok could only thank all his lucky stars that Jongdae managed to duck the flames in time, and escaped with only a slightly burnt arm. He doesn’t want to think about what would have happened if Jongdae had jumped aside a second too late.

But with his left hand, Jongdae points his wand behind Minseok, and towards the gigantic spikes of black stone rising from the ground all over the chamber. He winces, gritting his teeth and grinding down hard on his jaw so much that Minseok could see the way it pops out at his temple-- and despite the creasing of his brow, despite the squinting of his eyes in pain, Jongdae continues to hold out his wand.

And then he whispers “ _ draconifors _ ”.

The stone begins to shift.

With a thundering rumble, it shudders, slowly and steadily warping in shape. It stretches out, limbs sprouting from the body of the rock, two large wings as black as the rest of the stone stiffly elongating. A large, square head, two horns poking out of the top of the skull; rows and rows of spikes appearing at the neck, continuing to pop up all down the spine, down the tail, ending with a large arrowhead. The head shifts to the side, blinking big, stony eyes open. Eyes that are missing the slitted pupils of reptiles. It experimentally slowly cracks its jaw open, revealing small black spikes of teeth lining its mouth.

Then with a loud rumble, as the rocks that makes up the body of Jongdae’s creation move into place, the black stone dragon extends its wings, flapping twice at the Swedish Short-snout, and stretches its long neck out towards it.

Jongdae, shocked it actually worked, falls backwards into Minseok, who catches him straightaway, taking extra care to steer clear from Jongdae’s burnt arm.

“The  _ draconifors  _ spell,” Chanyeol whispers, jaw slack. “Jongdae that’s brilliant! How did you do it??”

“If you haven’t forgotten,  _ draconifors  _ and I have been long acquainted.” Jongdae grimaces, gingerly cradling his injured arm.

The stone dragon opens its mouth to show off its rows upon rows of black razor-sharp teeth despite not having a voice to roar at the Swedish Short-snout-- an error on Jongdae’s part. The  _ draconifors  _ spell is supposed to turn stone statues into the living thing, but considering how the stone was not even a statue of a dragon to begin with, he’s impressed enough that the spell had worked, even if it isn’t perfect.

The black dragon stands up on its hind legs, stretching itself out to its full size-- and it’s considerably smaller than the Swedish short-snout, it was created from just one heap of stone condensed together into a body after all. But the creature made of stone knows no fear-- it rears up on its hind legs, stretches its wings out in an act of pure intimidation and challenge.

The Swedish Short-snout lets out an ear-splitting roar, immediately blasting fire from its nostrils right at the other dragon. Jongdae takes that as their cue to leave, immediately trying to scramble up to his feet.

“We need to go, it’s distracted by the stone dragon, this is the only chance we’ll get,” he grits out between his teeth, scrunching his nose as his arm jostles trying to get up. Chanyeol immediately rushes to his side, long arm wrapping around Jongdae’s waist. “That stone isn’t going to last with that fire, it’ll be destroyed straightaway.”

And so Chanyeol, just like what he had done for Minseok, bends down without needing to be told twice, and hoists Jongdae up into his arms. And like that, with his smaller boyfriend curled up against his sturdy chest, take care to not bump into Jongdae’s burnt arm, Chanyeol hurriedly sets off at a run through the cavern, back to the stone wall that marks the exit.

Minseok follows right behind them, and chances a glance behind his shoulder-- the blue fire of the Swedish Short-snout completely envelopes the stone dragon, and the flames dance all over the hard edges and sharp corners of the creature for a moment. Perhaps it is a little harder to destroy, just because of the magic that was used to create it-- but as Jongdae predicted, it doesn’t last much longer under that full-blown heat.

The black stone that the dragon comprised of melts into crumbles as fine as sand, the entire thing disintegrating into a pile of extremely burnt dust.

Minseok hurriedly joins his boyfriends as they slip right through the passage from behind the great stone wall, quickly stepping out and waving his wand at it immediately, quickly moving it back into place. With a horrible, echoing grating sound, it shuts against the other wall of the chamber, sealing the dragon inside its cavern, leaving no gap in between. Chanyeol’s already stepping up to the end of the slide, and with a glance behind him to make sure that Minseok is still with him, they zoom right back up the tunnel that brought them down with yet another quick  _ ascendio  _ spell-- but it means that Jongdae’s arm, with the skin peeling away from the burn, brushes against Chanyeol’s chest for a split second.

He lets out a gasp of pain, biting down on his bottom lip-- and Chanyeol immediately sets him don on the rocky floor the moment they reach the main cavern with the tunnels leading off from it. 

“Jongdae,” Minseok breathes, shooting up out of the tunnel just behind them, stumbles as he lands and quickly hurrying towards his boyfriend. “Jongdae, how’s your arm?”

Jongdae’s handsome facial features twist again into a pained grimace, hissing slightly as he tries to move. “It’s basically a dragon french-fry.”

While Chanyeol snorts, Minseok quickly leans closer, pointing his wand at Jongdae’s arm, his other hand gently holding onto Jongdae’s uninjured hand, clasping their fingers together. 

And then he’s whispering a trail of spells, and a gentle light erupting from the end of his wand and covering the entire burnt area. Jongdae manages to catch  _ ‘reparifors’  _ and  _ ‘episkey’  _ within the mix of spells, both common healing charms, but there are foreign ones too that Minseok mutters into the space between them with a frown sitting on his forehead.

Jongdae winces again, but looks down to watch in silent awe as the skin joins up again along his arm, where it had been peeling and cracking. The glistening all over the burnt skin is dried off-- however in the parts where he had completely lost a layer of skin, those patches stay an angry red in colour. And of course, while Minseok’s range of healing spells certainly did work (Jongdae also wonders whether he added numbing spells in there as well to help with the stinging and the pain, with how layers of his skin had been burnt off and exposed nerve endings), there’s no avoiding a trip to the hospital wing.

“Especially because it’s an injury from a bloody dragon,” Chanyeol had agreed with Minseok , gently taking up Jongdae in his arms again with a grunt as soon as they all arrived back up to the Transfiguration classroom. Minseok easily transfigured the trap door back to normal, fixed the door of the store room, casted the invisibility spells they needed, and off they head towards the top floor of the castle. “And dragons are magic.”

“You definitely need magic injuries checked out, Jongdae,” Minseok adds, and Jongdae sighs, disgruntled in Chanyeol’s arms. 

It makes both of them smile the slightest, tired, tense smiles that Minseok and Chanyeol direct towards each other. Smile because more of Jongdae’s usual snark is seeping back into him, now that Minseok’s pain easing charm is working its magic. Jongdae lying against Chanyeol’s chest, absolutely subdued with the pain he was in was so completely foreign, and so terrifying to witness. With his arms tightening around his boyfriend as he climbs up staircase after staircase, Chanyeol decides he absolutely hates seeing Jongdae like that. Never again.

“What in the world happened to him?”

Despite the ungodly hour into the morning, it must be nearing dawn, the matron, still dressed in her sleep gown, opens the door to the hospital wing after a few gentle knocks thanks to Minseok, and immediately ushering them in after one look at Jongdae’s arm.

Jongdae only smiles sheepishly up at her as she bustles about, wheeling over a spare bed for Chanyeol to drop him onto.

“Uh he burnt himself on the magic fires in the kitchen, ma’am,” Chanyeol straightens up, stretching out his arms and making a face at the strain on his muscles after carrying him all that distance. 

“In the kitchens?” the matron fixes the redhead with a searing look, from where she’s bending over Jongdae on the bed, peering at the burn. “Why were you lot in the house-elf only kitchens at this time of the night?”

Chanyeol opens and closes his mouth like a dying fish, not managing to come up with anything to say. Minseok averts her gaze, idly scratching the back of his head with one hand and staying resolutely silent.

  
  
  


They hadn’t said a word about the dragon-- and thankfully, Minseok’s wand had no more issues around the Transfiguration corner of the castle once a week passes after their midnight adventure into the depths of Hogwarts. Though, it can be said that all three of them let their eyes linger for longer than necessary even just when passing the Transfiguration classroom, Jongdae and Chanyeol sharing meaningful looks every time they walk by. Sitting in the classroom for class means they both chance glances over at the wooden storeroom door, sitting innocently at one end of the room, as though it doesn’t hide a great big, silver-blue dragon in the depths behind it. 

And they would have completely forgotten cleanly about the dragons, the tunnels and the whole expedition-- until Minseok was passing by the Transfiguration classroom, after class on his way to collect one of his essays from the professor. His essay had received full marks, and was used as an exemplar for students in other classes, and he was asked to come by later to retrieve it from the professor. But that only allowed him to overhear voices inside the classroom, and his footsteps stop immediately.

Minseok leans closer towards the slightly ajar door, pressing himself towards the wall-- the Transfiguration professor and the Care of Magical Creatures professor, talking in low voices inside the transfiguration classroom.

And the mention of one word had caught his attention.

“The dragon cannot be kept here for too long,” the Transfiguration professor was hissing. “It is unsettled, and you know too well how unpredictable dragons can be.”

“They will be moved out soon,” comes the reply, and Minseok blinks in confusion. Were there more than one?

A sigh. “Soon?”

“I am not entirely sure exactly when the dragonologists and conservation biologists from Romania will arrive either-- they did not specify.”

“I understand. I just hope it is sooner rather than later. I have no objections to keeping the dragons here on our grounds but…” the Transfiguration professor pauses, and Minseok suddenly grows anxious that he’s been found out. “I worry that they have been discovered by other people already.”

“Because they have.”

The two professors startle, turning towards the door, both regarding Minseok poking his head into the room with shocked gazes and raised brows.

“Mr Kim!” The Transfiguration professor barks. “Do not eavesdrop on confidential conversations!”

“What do you mean by that?” the Care of Magical Creatures professor asks at the same time, and Minseok only gives them a secretive smile in response.

Silence stretches between the three of them, the two professors peering at Minseok while he remains tight-lipped and quiet. “I hope you didn’t go down there Mr Kim,” the Transfiguration professor hisses eventually, but Minseok’s smile remains hanging on his lips.

It helped him discover what he truly, really fears.

Minseok glances back up at the professors, blinking as innocently as he possibly could. “So, dragons in Hogwarts,” he smiles amicably. “Why are they hidden here? Surely there can’t be more than one?”

The professors glance at each other. Possibly considering the fact that Minseok has already overheard their conversation, the Care of Magical Creatures professor sighs, and begins.

“There has recently been an increasingly high demand for dragon hide,” he starts in a gruff voice, pursing his lips. “Dragon skin can be used to make gloves, goots, jackets, shields, being very tough and impervious to certain magical spells while providing physical protection as well--”

“-- like that of the Swedish Short-snout, right?” Minseok cuts in, the professor stopping to regard him with narrowed eyes.

“Yes,” he admits eventually. “The skin of the Swedish Short-snout is in high demand at this moment. Eggs for this dragon species are also Class A Non-Tradable Goods.”

Minseok nods. Chanyeol had told them all of this, in the days that passed between their adventure and now.

“The Ministry of Magic didn’t want those eggs to go straight into the black market, from the hands of poachers who will only raise the dragons for slaughter with how popular the attractive skin of the Swedish Short-snout is.” The professor pauses, and without saying the next sentence, Minseok could already guess what the next step of the story is. “So in order to allow the dragons to successfully breed and rear their young to adult age where they can then breed as well, Hogwarts agreed to take them in, temporarily.”

Minseok’s eyebrows raise straightaway. “How many, exactly?”

“Only a mother and her two eggs, which have hatched already.” The professor says before stopping at the look of sudden realisation in Minseok’s eyes.

A sudden understanding-- the dragon they fought must have been the mother, the adult. No wonder she was so aggressive, and so agitated. She had young with her.

With a quick smile, Minseok bows towards the professors, snatches up his essay from the Transfiguration professor’s wooden desk, and heads out of the classroom in long strides. This information is definitely going straight to Jongdae and Chanyeol.

  
  
  


It isn’t until weeks later that he Headmaster taps his fork on the side of his goblet at dinner, the entire Great Hall falling silent as he stands to address the school.

And with his booming voice, announcing that dragons that Hogwarts have been harbouring will be transported back to Romania late that very evening with the arrival of the dragonologists, the entire school absolutely erupts in loud and shocked discussion.

Amongst all the noise and chatter and complete chaos amongst the student body, Minseok sips on his pumpkin juice without a word, half-listening to his Ravenclaw peers babble loudly about the prospect of having lived with dragons this entire time. And with a glance over at the Gryffindor table, he notices Chanyeol and Jongdae exaggeratedly feigning surprise, with dropped jaws and bulging eyes.

Kyungsoo leans over the dinner table to land a loud smack on the top of Chanyeol’s head of red hair. “Did you two know about this already??” he snaps, Baekhyun also gazing at them with an expression of pure disbelief.

They’re rewarded with sheepish smiles from both Jongdae and Chanyeol, shrugs and vague responses, and Baekhyun huffs. “I can’t fucking believe you two,” Baekhyun shakes his head, pointing the fork he has in his hand at them. “You two owe me one!”

“Why?” Jongdae protests, only to be shut down by a withering glare from Baekhyun.

“You two went on adventures without me! I can’t believe you’d leave me out! You better fucking make it up to me Kim Jongdae, you hear that?”

 

And Jongdae does. He does in the way of pacing in front of the blank wall on the seventh floor three times, he does by opening the materialized door to a large, vacant room, and allowing his friends in.

The Room of Requirement is vastly different to the room that they had gotten used to hanging out in-- the large bed that fits all three of them isn’t there, and neither are the tall bookshelves that Minseok loves so much or the fireplace that Chanyeol lies to sit beside to read.

This time, Jongdae asked for a different kind of space, for a different purpose.

He gestures to Minseok, and the sixth year only gives a bashful smile before closing his eyes, losing himself in his thoughts. It only takes him a mere few moments, before he waves his wand with a strong and certain incantation.

“ _ Expecto patronum _ .”

The cat that streams out of Minseok’s wand is familiar to Jongdae and Chanyeol by now, it’s starry tabby fur, it’s delicate paws that seem to glide in mid-air as it scampers around them, lighting up the room-- but Baekhyun’s eyes are wide in amazement, breathing gasps of wonder as he watches the path of Minseok’s patronus through the air. Sehun and Kyungsoo, with their hands clasped together, are sharing looks of pure delight, with how easily contagious the positive energy from the patronus is. It is, afterall, magic conjured completely from the caster’s feelings and memories of utmost happiness.

After sharing a fleeting look, Jongdae and Chanyeol both pull out their own wands, whisking it in the air, allowing two more cats to join Minseok’s in the room.

Jongdae’s snow leopard, Chanyeol’s tiger, Minseok’s domestic cat-- all three corporeal patronuses swarm around the Room of Requirement, basking all the boys and every corner of the room in glowing blue light.

And it isn’t hard to see the way they fit together, when all three cats stand together, with their flickering tails and sleek furry pelts gently brushing against each other.

Baekhyun has never been that good at spells-- but the tension in his shoulders fade away with Chanyeol joking about how long it had taken himself to conjure up his own patronus. And with his eyes closed, the smile on his face only grows, cheeks bunching together as his thoughts and memories swim behind his closed eyelids.

Baekhyun lifts his wand, and with his eyes still closed, he gives a flick of his wrist.

“ _ Expecto patronum _ .”

The incantation was a mere whisper, but something glowing bright and white shoots out of the tip, and Baekhyun’s eyelids fly open in shock at the exclaims he hears from his friends that stand around watching.

His brown eyes fall onto the animal trotting around the air over their heads, and it’s like the light from his patronus is shining in his own irises. Baekhyun smiles, big and wide enough for his eyes to squint as he watches his starry fox dart around his friends, speedily slinking around the edges of the room, large ears perked right up and fluffy tail streaming behind it.

All of a sudden something shoots over them, something silent and graceful. Baekhyun’s fox jumps, scurrying away, and all eyes turns to the bird that glides around their heads, gracefully returning to Kyungsoo’s side.

An eagle-owl, flying circles above them, large soft wings barely needing to flap as it soars, round eyes peering down at the boys, scrutinising them.

Dotted feathers, unblinking gaze, large tufts sticking out from the side of its head that look remarkably like Kyungsoo’s eyebrows-- everything about the eagle-owl. The more the other boys look between Kyungsoo and his patronus, the more alike they seem, and they erupt in fits of laughter.

Sehun’s uncertainty is written all over his face, even with Kyungsoo holding onto his hand and Jongdae’s words of encouragement in his ears. He raises his eyes from where he had them fixed on his shoes, raises them to meet Kyungsoo’s gaze. And Kyungsoo holds it, lets Sehun silently search his eyes. What he’s searching for, Kyungsoo doesn’t know-- but what he does know is that the tension and anxiousness would positively melt right off Sehun's face if he leans forward to kiss him soundly on the mouth.

And that is exactly what Kyungsoo does. He closes the distance between their faces, gently pressing his lips to Sehun’s mouth, feeling the flutter of Sehun’s eyelashes against his cheek as he closes his eyes. And for a second, they manage to forget about their friends being in the same room as them.

Kyungsoo pulls away, a little hesitantly, but his lips quirk up into a gentle smile, giving Sehun’s hand a last encouraging squeeze before he lets go. And this time, Sehun returns the smile.

For some reason, Sehun barely needs much time to think and to relive his happiest memory, because it doesn’t take him long to try out the incantation with a quiet little mumble-- and to everyone’s surprise, even Sehun’s own, the animal that flies out of his wand shoots straight for Kyungsoo’s owl.

And at first glance, they look to be the same bird, with the same dark feathers. But Sehun’s bird doesn’t have the spotted patterning, not the large ear tufts. It’s larger though, much larger, with an impressively long wing-span and a distinctive fanned tail.

“A wedge-tailed eagle and an eagle-owl,” Chanyeol chuckles, his boyfriends turning to him with surprise. “How matching.”

“How’d you know that?” Jongdae demands, staring up at his boyfriend in undisguised shock, only for Chanyeol to shrug.

“I like muggle animals too, alright?”

They turn back to watch the patronuses, only to all groan in unison. Sehun and Kyungsoo have their arms around each other, completely wrapped up in each other’s embrace, lips languidly moving together as they kiss in the middle of the room.

Sehun smiles into the kiss, hands across Kyungsoo’s back pulling him in even closer-- and when they part, Kyungsoo huffs out a breath of laughter against Sehun’s wet lips, with his hands resting on either side of Sehun’s tiny little waist. They look up into the air in synchrony, watching how their birds fly together beside each other, with simultaneous flaps of their wings. And that only makes their smiles grow, clearly knowing that they had certainly thought of each other as they conjured their patronuses. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAHHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH IF YOU MADE IT THIS FAR!!!  
> wow. that was a journey! this is the longest fic i've ever written, and i'm so so grateful, from the bottom of my heart for all the support that you guys have given me throughout this entire thing! the people who leave comments under every chapter, i LOVE YOU. TO THE MOON AND BACK. and i haven't been good with responding to comments and stuff because i've been incredibly busy, but JUST KNOW THAT MY HEART BEATS FOR EVERY SINGLE COMMENT! (so please tell me what you think of chapter 10, i'm dying to know!!!)
> 
> the last scene with the patronuses was not originally meant to be there, but multiple people have told me how much they love the patronuses and wanted to see what other characters patronuses are, so THIS IS FOR YOU!!  
> and realistically, not everyone would be able to produce patronuses at all, BUT HYPOTHETICALLY, if all the exos could produce patronuses, then these would be the other three's patronuses:  
> Jongin: brown bear  
> Junmyeon: bunny  
> Yixing: unicorn
> 
> tell me what you think, and whether you agree with my choice of animals!  
> as for xiuchenyeol, chenyeol's patronuses changed after fully falling in love with Minseok, which can happen sometimes (Tonk's patronus changed to match Remus Lupin's, for example, after falling in love with him.)  
> jongdae x snow leopard: it's a smaller species of big cat, keeps to itself and minds its own business. not particularly fussy in terms of food/environment, pretty chill. i thought that suited jongdae.  
> chanyeol x tiger: i think many people associate chanyeol with a tiger right? the tiger is the biggest cat in the world, obviously related to chanyeol's size, and idk the fur colour/hair colour played a part in me deciding to choose tiger for him hahah
> 
> so i hope you've enjoyed the story, and i hope it was fun to follow along for those of you who have been here this whole time <3 i love you all so so much, thank you thank you thank you <33
> 
> you can follow my twitter @djjdkim if you're interested in my other aus and future fics c: LOVE YOU MWAH


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